BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Manufacturing Industries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new apprenticeship places in the manufacturing sector have been created in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: There were 43,100 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08 in the 'Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies' Sector Subject Area.
	The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship—up from 37 per cent. in 2004-05.
	The Government are also committed to using their public procurement programme—worth around £175 billion a year—to increase skills training and apprenticeship opportunities. In April, the Office of Government Commerce published guidance on how public sector bodies can include skills and apprenticeship considerations in their procurements.

Learning and Skills Council

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1014W, on Learning and Skills Council, if he will place in the Library a copy of each set of minutes of the Learning and Skills Council's National Council meetings which his Department holds.

Si�n Simon: The LSC publishes a summary of its Council minutes on its website. These can be found at:
	www.lsc.gov.uk
	However, I have asked the acting chief executive of the LSC to review the full minutes of recent National Council meetings and to assess whether it is appropriate to publish the full minutes or more information from them, and to write to the hon. Member with the outcome of that assessment.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people were employed by each non-departmental public body that receives funding from his Department in the last three years for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was formed in June 2007, following the machinery of government changes. As a result we are only able to provide information from 2007-08. The staffing figures (full-time equivalentsFTEs) for the NDPBs which receive funding from the Department are as follows:
	
		
			  Full-time equivalents 
			   As at 31 March 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 Copyright Tribunal (1)1 2 
			 Council for Science and Technology 4 4 
			 Design Council 58 55 
			 HEFCE 264 264 
			 Investors in People UK 40 44 
			 LSC(2) 3,451 3,229 
			 Office for Fair Access 4 3 
			 Quality Improvement Agency 9 n/a 
			 Research Councils 7,691 7,218 
			 Sector Skills Development Agency 136 n/a 
			 Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy (SABIP) 1 5 
			 Student Loans Company 1,320 1,480 
			 Technology Strategy Board 75 88 
			 UK CES (3)1.1 (4)99.3 
			 n/a = not applicableceased to exist from 2008-09 (1) Staff are employed by the Intellectual Property Office and did not have a full-time commitment to the Copyright Tribunal, as they undertook other duties as well. (2) These figures represent the average FTE across the year, and include approximately 900 staff in 2007-08 and 800 staff in 2008-09 who are not funded from the administration budget. (3) This figure comprises a full-time chief executive and a part time Chair. (4) The total of full-time equivalents includes 10 part-time staff, hence the partial figure of 99.3.

Train to Gain Programme

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of candidates who have registered for Train to Gain courses and are yet to start their course.

Kevin Brennan: Train to Gain is the Government's flagship service providing advice, support and funding to employers in England, of all sizes and in all sectors. It gives employers better access to a wider range of opportunities for improving the skills of their employees, and the productivity of their business.
	Train to Gain learner numbers are recorded only once the learner has registered at the start of their course. Since its launch in 2006, Train to Gain has helped 971,000 employees to begin learning programmes (up to 31 January 2009).
	Prior to registration, information about employers and learners with a potential interest in Train to Gain is held by providers locally and used to inform engagement activity. Before April of this year that information was not recorded centrally; however, from 1 April both Train to Gain and Business Link brokers were brought together in a new service under the Business Link brand. Information about employers and their employees who use this new service will be collected and used to track progress.

Train to Gain Programme: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people from  (a) Cambridgeshire and  (b) Peterborough constituency who have registered for a Train to Gain course but have not yet commenced their training.

Kevin Brennan: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) delivers the Train to Gain programme on behalf of the Department. It counts the number of learners who register for Train to Gain at the point where they formally start on programmes. However, there is no formal registration process before a learner starts and therefore no central mechanism is in place to measure the number of people registering an interest.
	The LSC is working closely with providers to support ongoing new starts for the remainder of the 2008/09 academic year where providers are within their maximum contract value. Letters have now been issued by the LSC to providers setting out their maximum contract values for 2009/10 academic year.

Vocational Training

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the financial contribution made to employee training by employers in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: Estimates are drawn from employers contacted following the biennial National Employers Skills Survey (NESS) managed by the Learning and Skills Council. A follow-up survey to measure training expenditure has been conducted among employers since 2005 in addition to the NESS.
	The total cost of training to employers in the 12 months prior to NESS07 is estimated to have been 38.6 billion including the labour costs of those receiving training, the labour costs of those delivering and managing training and course fees to external providers. The estimate for the 12 months prior to NESS05 was 33.3 billion. This increase is equivalent to 3.5 billion (10 per cent.) when inflation is taken into account. The 2009 survey is currently in field and will be available in spring 2010.
	The NESS 2007 report explained why reliable information could not be produced from the surveys carried out in 2004 and 2003.

CABINET OFFICE

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths there have been from each type of cancer as recorded by the ICD-10 classification in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated June 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there have been from each type of cancer as recorded by the ICD-10 classification in each year since 1997. (283288)
	The attached table provides the number of deaths where cancer was the underlying cause of death in England and Wales, for the period 1997 to 2008 (the latest year available), for all cancers combined, and for selected cancers. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) has been used to code mortality data since 2001, therefore figures provided for 1997 to 2000 have been extracted using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes (ICD-9), where equivalent codes exist. A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	A more detailed breakdown of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales by all ICD codes is published annually by the Office for National Statistics. A copy of this publication is available in the House of Commons library, and can be accessed on the Office for National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15096
	The latest volume is for deaths registered in 2007, and figures for deaths where cancer was the underlying cause can be found on pages 24 to 47 of this volume.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where cancer (malignant neoplasm) was the underlying cause of death,( 1)  all cancers and specific cancers, persons, England and Wales,( 2)  1997  to  2008( 3,4) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2097  2008 
			 All cancers 135,771 136,289 133,749 132,421 136,234 137,051 136,030 134,873 134,894 135,635 136,804 137,827 
			  
			 Lip, oral cavity and pharynx 1,692 1,691 1,672 1,633 1,694 1,703 1,599 1,720 1,709 1,699 1,814 1,815 
			 Oesophagus 5,868 5,934 6,031 6,057 6,137 6,332 6,424 6,299 6,466 6,495 6,424 6,609 
			 Stomach 6,630 6,440 6.133 5,745 5,654 5,588 5.290 5,088 4,930 4,562 4,587 4,546 
			 Small intestine 184 259 245 270 259 266 280 291 269 283 326 342 
			 Colon 10,451 10,165 9,680 9.550 9.466 9,505 9,168 9,123 9,070 8,954 8,854 8,958 
			 Rectosigmoid Junction, rectum, anus and anal cancer 4,775 4,815 4,684 4,680 4,697 4,784 4,919 5,040 5,045 5.068 5,176 5,317 
			 Liver and intrahepatic bile ducts 1,985 1,920 1,946 2,084 2,055 2,176 2,239 2,332 2,470 2,664 2,748 2,990 
			 Gallbladder and biliary tract 590 550 530 526 527 541 526 526 530 551 580 559 
			 Pancreas 5,789 5,804 5,926 6,094 6,027 6,153 6,241 6,302 6,488 6,584 6,845 6,929 
			 Larynx 789 739 737 707 754 741 716 673 661 676 657 715 
			 Trachea, bronchus and lung 30,014 30,197 29,406 26,941 28,850 28,888 28.749 28,320 28,691 29,332 29,660 30,324 
			 Skin 1,377 1,468 1,474 1.528 1,475 1,476 1,585 1,598 1,619 1,649 1,825 1,847 
			 Other malignant neoplasms of skin 357 397 370 339 402 445 451 475 449 460 488 417 
			 Mesothelioma 1,587 1,619 1,626 1,874 1,745 1,809 1.858 1,960 
			 Kaposi's sarcoma 5 3 9 9 9 7 4 8 
			 Breast 12,064 11,840 11,613 11,451 11,654 11.573 11,286 11,024 11,076 11,011 10,727 10,778 
			 Cervix uteri 1,222 1,155 1,106 1,102 1,046 1,003 953 951 917 831 820 830 
			 Other and unspecified parts of uterus 1,292 1,290 1,233 1,323 1,400 1,362 1,397 1,458 1,464 1,469 1,506 1,544 
			 Ovary 3,984 4,035 3,946 3,901 4,078 4,105 3,979 3,813 3,864 3,799 3,730 3,733 
			 Prostate 8,531 8,570 8,502 8,271 8.936 9,004 9,160 9,167 9,017 9,057 9,230 9,157 
			 Testis 68 75 71 70 58 61 74 69 67 64 52 60 
			 Kidney, except renal pelvis 2,540 2,585 2.602 2,590 2,658 2,771 2,823 2,954 2,931 3,102 3,035 3.085 
			 Bladder 4,542 4,468 4,309 4,412 4,435 4,422 4,408 4,304 4,190 4,304 4,360 4,456 
			 Eye, brain and other parts of central nervous system 2,915 2,949 2,924 2,962 3,071 3,026 3,053 3,103 3.072 3,229 3,275 3,302 
			 Hodgkin's disease 265 272 241 246 231 252 279 277 253 302 285 281 
			 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 3,912 3,958 4,043 4,017 4,074 4,214 4,142 3,942 3,940 3,987 4,013 4,000 
			 Multiple myeloma and malignant plasma ceil neoplasms 2,057 2,225 2,154 2,030 2,229 2,320 2,337 2,283 2,185 2,301 2,403 2,347 
			 Leukaemia 3,593 3,548 3,674 3,562 3,793 3,906 3,924 3,823 3,893 3,859 3,935 3,924 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for the years 1997 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for 2001 onwards. The specific causes of death, and their corresponding ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, are shown in the following table. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (4) Figures for deaths registered in 2008 are provisional. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes for all cancers and selected cancers 
			  Group name  ICD-10 code  ICD-9 code 
			 All cancers C00-C97 140-208 
			 Lip, oral cavity and pharynx C00-C14 140-149 
			 Oesophagus C15 150 
			 Stomach C16 151 
			 Small intestine C17 152 
			 Colon C18 153 
			 Rectosigmoid junction, rectum, anus and anal canal C19-C21 154 
			 Liver and intrahepatic bile ducts C22 155 
			 Gallbladder and biliary tract C23-C24 156 
			 Pancreas C25 157 
			 Larynx C32 161 
			 Trachea, bronchus and lung C33-C34 162 
			 Skin C43 172 
			 Other Malignant Neoplasm of skin C44 173 
			 Mesothelioma C45 No equivalent codes 
			 Kaposi's sarcoma C46 No equivalent codes 
			 Breast C50 174-175 
			 Cervix uteri C53 180 
			
			 Other and unspecified parts of uterus C54-C55 179, 182 
			 Ovary C56 183 
			 Prostate C61 185 
			 Testis C62 186 
			 Kidney, except renal pelvis C64 189 
			 Bladder C67 188 
			 Eye, brain and other parts of central nervous system C69-C72 190-192 
			 Hodgkin's disease C81 201 
			 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma C82-C85 200, 202 
			 Multiple myeloma and malignant plasma cell neoplasms C90 203 
			 Leukaemia C91-C95 204-208

Construction: Industry

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate her Department has made of the number of people seeking work in the construction industry at the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were seeking work in the construction industry at the latest date for which figures are available. (283454)
	Unemployment estimates are routinely derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS); however this source does not hold information on which sectors people are seeking employment in.
	As an alternative we have supplied information on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) based on the stated occupation they are seeking work in. Occupations are classified based on the Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (SOC2000).
	Table 1 shows the number of people claiming JSA in May 2009 who were seeking work in a range of construction related occupations.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) seeking work in the construction related occupations, May 2009 
			  SOC Code  Sought occupation( 1)  JSA claimants 
			 1122 Managers in construction 6,500 
			 2121 Civil engineers 2,200 
			 2431 Architects 1,690 
			 2432 Town planners 230 
			 2433 Quantity surveyors 1,270 
			 2434 Chartered surveyors (not quantity surveyors) 1,350 
			 3114 Building and civil engineering technicians 895 
			 3121 Architectural technologists and town planning technicians 1,215 
			 3122 Draughtspersons 2,080 
			 3123 Building inspectors 150 
			 5241 Electricians, electrical fitters 12,340 
			 5311 Steel erectors 1,590 
			 5312 Bricklayers, masons 15,205 
			 5313 Roofers, roof tilers and slaters 6,690 
			 5314 Plumbers, heating and ventilating engineers 11,565 
			 5315 Carpenters and joiners 25,740 
			 5316 Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters 5,585 
			 5319 Construction trades n.e.c. 6,585 
			 5321 Plasterers 10,645 
			 5322 Floorers and wall tilers 4,955 
			 5323 Painters and decorators 21,075 
			 8141 Scaffolders, stagers, riggers 4,845 
			 8142 Road construction operatives 3,495 
			 8143 Rail construction and maintenance operatives 1,815 
			 8149 Construction operatives n.e.c. 9,115 
			 9121 Labourers in building and woodworking trades 50,325 
			 9129 Labourers in other construction trades n.e.c. 40,585 
			  Total 249,735 
			 (1) Occupations are classified based on the Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (SOC2000).   Source:  Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Employment: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many single parents below state pension age with dependent children were  (a) employed and  (b) unemployed for any period in each constituency in the East of England region in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people aged 16 years and over who were resident in each constituency in the East of England region were unemployed for any period in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009 :
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many people aged 16 years and over who were resident in each constituency in the East of England were unemployed for any period in each of the last 10 years; and how many single parents below state pension age with dependant children were (a) employed and (b) unemployed for any period in each constituency in the East of England in each of the last 10 years. (283422  283421)
	The required information is not available; the Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), however estimates from this source do not exist at the level of detail requested.

Males: Breast Cancer

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many cases of male breast cancer were reported in  (a) each health authority in each of the last five years and  (b) England in each of the last 10 years; and what the highest number of cases of male breast cancer reported in a health authority was in the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2006. The number of cases of male breast cancer (a) in each strategic health authority in each of the last five years and (b) in England in each of the last 10 years is in Table 1 and 2. The highest number of cases of male breast cancer reported in a strategic health authority in the last five years was 47.
	
		
			  Table 1: Registration of newly diagnosed cases of male breast cancer, strategic health authority, 2002 - 06 
			  Health Authority  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 17 15 14 16 15 
			 North West 32 35 34 33 35 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 17 31 30 21 21 
			 East Midlands 23 27 25 21 18 
			 West Midlands 30 27 28 22 29 
			 East of England 24 28 38 21 41 
			 London 34 38 26 30 42 
			 South East 21 21 20 18 24 
			 South Central 16 22 22 20 16 
			 South West 44 47 30 33 34 
			  Note: Breast cancer is coded to C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10).  Source:  Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Registration of newly diagnosed cases of male breast cancer: England, 1997 to 2006 
			   Number of cases 
			 1997 228 
			 1998 259 
			 1999 259 
			 2000 216 
			 2001 230 
			 2002 258 
			 2003 291 
			 2004 267 
			 2005 235 
			 2006 275 
			  Note: Breast cancer is coded to C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10).  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether her Department provides facilities for meditation for its staff.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office provides facilities which can be used for prayer, meditation and reflection.

Third Sector

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment has been made of the cost- effectiveness of Government funding for  (a) charities,  (b) social enterprises and  (c) voluntary organisations.

Angela Smith: The Office of the Third Sector provides over 515 million of funding for third sector programmes and has commissioned a number of evaluations of individual programmes including Capacitybuilders, Futurebuilders and Grassroots Grants. All of these independent evaluations consider the cost-effectiveness of Government funding and have been or will be published.
	One of the most significant developments in evidencing the cost-effectiveness of funding has been the establishment of the Economic and Social Research Council's 10 million Third Sector Research Centre last year. The Office of the Third Sector is providing 5million funding to this new centre, which will look at measuring the economic impact of the sector, including considerations of cost-effectiveness of statutory funding.
	The National Audit Office's recent value for money report, published in February 2009, considered cost effectiveness of Government funds for capacity building the sector. Other work by the NAO on Public Funding of Large Charities (August 2007) and Implementation of Full Cost Recovery (June 2007) also looked at issues of cost effectiveness.
	OTS has recently completed and published a guide to the value of Social Return on Investment (May 2009). Social Return on Investment is a way of measuring and accounting for a broader range of outcomes (such as social and environmental outcomes) rather than constraining cost effectiveness to the financial element alone. This work is of particular value when demonstrating the effectiveness of funding to the third sector.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many academies have taken  (a) less than one year,  (b) between one and two years,  (c) between two and three years and  (d) more than three years to open following (i) the initiation of the brokering phase and (ii) the statement of interest.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 June2009
	We do not have a central record of when brokering discussions begin for academy projects, and it would be above the cost threshold to collect these data. The Statement of Intent phase has only been a formally recorded part of the process since 2007.
	Of the open academies with Statements of Intent (SOI) none has taken less than a year to progress from SOI to open, 14 have taken between one and two years and none has taken longer.

Children: Emigration

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many leave to remove applications have been brought in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many such cases have been granted in each such year.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Data on applications for leave to remove a child from the UK are not held centrally. However, the following table shows the number of individual cases where there was an order granting leave to remove a child from the UK. Data were not collected prior to 2000.
	
		
			   Number of cases in England and Wales where leave to remove a child from the UK was granted 
			 2000 190 
			 2001 292 
			 2002 333 
			 2003 435 
			 2004 447 
			 2005 474 
			 2006 383 
			 2007 398 
			 2008 355 
			  Notes: 1. The data are taken from the HMCS FamilyMan database.  2. Data include cases in England and Wales county courts and high courts but exclude a small number of cases in family proceedings courts (FPCs).  3. Leave to remove a child from the UK may be granted as part of residence order proceedings.  4. An order granting leave to remove a child from the UK may refer to more than one child.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  in how many and what percentage of schools which had staff absent for an average of five or more days per teacher 30 per cent. or fewer pupils achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of schools in each decile of  (a) area deprivation by school residence and  (b) area deprivation by pupil residence have been recorded as having a teacher absence rate of at least five days per teacher in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of schools in which  (a) 50 per cent.,  (b) 60 per cent.,  (c) 70 per cent. and  (d) 75 per cent. or more of teachers were absent for one or more days had 30 per cent. or fewer of their pupils achieve five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available. Teacher absence information is limited to that caused by sickness and this is collected at the local authority level which cannot be linked to individual schools' GCSE attainment or area deprivation information.

Members: Correspondence

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to respond to the letter of 12 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Maidenhead on Aiming High for Disabled Children.

Diana Johnson: A reply to the letter, signed by the Secretary of State, was sent to the hon. Member on 19 June 2009.

Personal Social and Health Education

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of schools that cover issues related to violence against women in personal, social, health and economic education classes.

Diana Johnson: We do not have statistics for the number of schools teaching about violence against women in PSHE education.
	However, we acknowledge that schools have an important role in raising awareness of domestic violence and abuse issues by giving children and young people the knowledge and skills to not only deal with their own anger but anger and violence directed towards them.

Schools: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent research he has evaluated on levels of efficiency in relation to  (a) his Department's spending on schools and  (b) funds spent by maintained schools.

Vernon Coaker: In recent years, the Department has sponsored a number of research projects and in-house analytical projects in this area. In relation to the efficiency of the Department's spending on schools, the Consistent Financial Reporting data collection has been implemented since 2002-03. It is used at national and school level internally for modelling the impact of new policies and used externally at school level via the Financial Benchmarking website. This site enables users to prepare charts that compare their school's income and expenditure profile with that of similar schools so that they can make informed decisions on how to manage their resources effectively.
	In relation to the efficiency of funds spent by maintained schools the Department has constructed school level measures of efficiency derived from Data Envelopment Analysis models. These models generate a measure of efficiency for every secondary school, which express how effective they have been in delivering pupil outcomes given their resourcing levels and pupil context relative to the most efficient school in the sector that faces similar funding and contextual constraints. A similar project for measuring efficiency in primary schools is due to take place this summer.
	The details of the efficiency measures for secondary schools can be found in the following publication:
	Analysis of Secondary School Efficiency: Final Report, Professor Peter C Smith and Dr. Andrew Street
	http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction= productdetailsPageMode=publicationsProductld=RR788

Youth Citizenship Commission

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish each  (a) letter and  (b) email sent from his Department to the Youth Citizenship Commission since the commission was established.

Diana Johnson: The Department has had no contact with the Youth Citizenship Commission either by letter or email since the commission was established.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing Finance Review

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 642-3W, on council housing, if he will place in the Library a copy of each research report produced by external organisations in relation to his Department's review of council housing finance.

Ian Austin: On 30 June the Minister for Housing announced in a written ministerial statement that a consultation document on the review of council housing finance will be published before the summer recess. The research reports will be published alongside this consultation document and subsequently placed in the Library.

Homes and Communities Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date he expects the Homes and Communities Agency to publish its annual report and accounts.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 202W.

Housing: Armed Forces

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many armed forces personnel living in  (a) London,  (b) the South East and  (c) the East of England region have applied for assistance to (i) purchase a home under the New Build HomeBuy scheme and (ii) rent a home under the intermediate rent scheme in each month since October 2006.

John Healey: The information requested on applications for assistance under the New Build HomeBuy and intermediate rent schemes is not held centrally. Applications are processed by Homebuy agents (appointed housing associations) as part of the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing programme.

Housing: Ex-servicemen

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have required the Ministry of Defence to obtain a possession order before providing housing assistance to ex-armed forces personnel in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which banks  (a) participate in and  (b) offer mortgage finance for purchasers under the (i) HomeBuy Direct, (ii) OwnHome, (iii) OpenMarket HomeBuy, (iv) the First-time Buyers' Initiative, (v) MyChoice HomeBuy, (vi) New Build HomeBuy, (vii) Social HomeBuy and (viii) Rent to HomeBuy scheme.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 June 2009,  Official Report, column 897W.
	Participation in low cost home ownership schemes is a commercial decision for individual lenders. We are engaging regularly with lenders to ensure the continuance of mortgages for HomeBuy purchasers.
	For (ii)OwnHome product is a joint venture between Places for People and the Co-operative Bank. As such the Co-operative Bank is the only lender involved in this scheme.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing  (a) starts and  (b) completions there were under the National Affordable Housing programme in each region in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: The following table shows the number of affordable homes completed through the National Affordable Housing programme (NAHP) in each region in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 620 710 830 910 700 
			 North West 2,020 2,000 2,260 2,490 3,170 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,460 1,040 1,420 1,460 1,640 
			 East Midlands 1,630 1,790 2,530 2,060 3,120 
			 West Midlands 2,240 2,360 3,220 2,000 3,140 
			 Eastern 4,080 3,960 5,090 4,480 6,460 
			 London 9,800 8,900 10,390 11,390 13,410 
			 South East 8,640 8,810 9,210 8,220 9,080 
			 South West 3,260 3,170 3,950 3,190 4,670 
			 England 33,750 32,740 38,890 36,190 45,390 
			  Notes: 1. Comprehensive figures showing the total number of affordable housing starts are not available.  2. The affordable housing completions include social rent, intermediate rent and low cost home ownership. Not all affordable housing completions are provided through the NAHP.  3. The affordable housing figures are estimates and have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS)

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households rent a property under Rent to HomeBuy scheme in each region.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 751W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) his Department's officials have had with (i) HomeBuy agents, (ii) Places for People and (iii) the Co-operative on the winding-up of the Open Market HomeBuy schemes.

John Healey: In managing and developing the Affordable Housing programme, officials from this Department and the Homes and Communities Agency have regular discussions with HomeBuy agents and equity loan providers, including about the Open Market HomeBuy scheme.

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 23W, on planning, what assessment he made of the effects on local authorities of the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 on the time limits relating to planning permission.

Ian Austin: The Secretary of State's assessment is set out in the consultation stage impact assessment which forms part of the consultation document Greater Flexibility for Planning Permissions. This is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/flexibilitypermissions

Planning: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much he has allocated to local authorities in planning grant for each of the next three years.

Ian Austin: Housing and Planning Delivery Grant (HPDG) totals 435 million and has been approved for the period 2008 to 2011 which covers only the next two years. Funding beyond that period has not yet been agreed. HPDG is broken down per annum as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			 2008-09 (year 1) 100 
			 2009-10 (year 2) 135 
			 2010-11 (year 3) 200 
		
	
	A consultation on proposed changes to the Housing and Planning Delivery Grant allocation mechanism for year 2 and year 3 closed on 23 June 2009. Consideration is currently being given to the responses and a Government response will be made shortly.

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on whether strategic environmental assessments in regional spatial strategies should be applied to  (a) proposals that set development policies for specific locations and  (b) reviews of green belt in specific locations.

Ian Austin: Regional spatial strategies are required to undergo sustainability appraisals, incorporating the requirements of the European Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment. Regional spatial strategies may identify broad locations for development and include policies on the need for green belt reviews. The potential environmental effects of policies for development of broad locations, and any policies involving green belt reviews, are identified in these appraisals and taken into account in the development of the strategy. However, it would be for the local planning authorities to determine any detailed changes to green belt boundaries.

Regional Planning and Development: Transport

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether regional transport strategies will be incorporated into integrated regional strategies.

Ian Austin: Regional transport strategies presently form part of regional spatial strategies for each of the English regions outside of London. In replacing regional spatial and economic strategies, the new regional strategies will also address transport issues.

Social Housing: Fraud

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take as part of its autumn crackdown on social housing fraud, as referred to on page 19 of the Building Britain's Future publication.

Ian Austin: Further details will be announced in due course.

Social Rented Housing: British Nationality

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of social housing units which are occupied by British nationals.

Ian Austin: There were an estimated 3,670,000 social housing units in England over the period 2006-07 and 2007-08 that were occupied by UK or Irish nationalsequivalent to 92 per cent. of all social housing.

Tenant Services Authority: Public Relations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1009W, on Tenant Services Authority: public relations, to what services the contract between the Tenant Services Authority and APCO relates.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1345W, by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett).

Unitary Councils: Costs

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 210-11W, on unitary councils: costs, what estimate has been made of  (a) transition costs and  (b) efficiency savings in respect of each new unitary authority; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The figures show estimates of one-off transition costs for each of the nine new unitary councils established on 1 April 2009. The table also shows estimates of savings included in the councils' budgets for 2009-10 which are either directly attributable to the transition to unitary local government or facilitated by it.
	
		
			   million 
			  Unitary council  Transition costs  2009-10 savings 
			 Bedford borough 6.5 9.9 
			 Central Bedfordshire 19.8 8.5 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 15.0 29.0 
			 Cheshire East 15.5 25.1 
			 Cornwall 19.3 17.1 
			 Durham 12.5 26.3 
			 Northumberland 16.1 23.8 
			 Shropshire 12.1 10.8 
			 Wiltshire 17.0 8.6 
			 Total 133.8 159.1

Zero Carbon Hub

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much public funding has been allocated to the Zero Carbon Hub for each of the next three years.

Ian Austin: The funding to be provided by the Department to the Zero Carbon Hub will be 750,000 in each of 2009-10 and 2010-11, subject to satisfactory delivery of the Hub's business plan. Decisions on funding beyond 2010-11 will be considered as part of future spending reviews.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Health Services

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of levels of  (a) take-up and  (b) awareness of his Department's priority treatment scheme for veterans;
	(2)  on how many occasions  (a) war pensioners and  (b) veterans have received priority treatment in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland in each year the priority treatment scheme has been in operation.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 1 January 2008, all veterans have priority access to national health service secondary care for any conditions that are likely to be related to their service, subject to the clinical needs of all patients. Data on take-up of priority treatment and numbers of priority treatment received are not collected centrally. NHS chief executives were informed of the extension of provision of priority treatment to all veterans in December 2007 (Access to Health Services for Military Veterans) and subsequently in June 2008 in a letter to strategic health authorities (SHAs) (Health Services for the Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans - Guidance for SHAs). Copies of both documents have been placed in the Library. The NHS Operating Framework published in December 2008 makes it very clear that primary care trusts and providers should be delivering this for all relevant referrals.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Panther vehicles which are being upgraded for theatre entry will undertake.

Quentin Davies: The Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle is a multi-role light vehicle that can be configured as a scout, command or liaison vehicle or as a weapons platform. It will be used in a variety of roles in operational theatres as determined by operational commanders on a case-by-case basis.

Frigates

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many frigates there are available for use by the Royal Navy for each maritime role.

Quentin Davies: The Royal Navy has 17 operational frigates: four Type 22s and 13 Type 23s. These are all capable of fulfilling a wide range of maritime roles from high-intensity war-fighting to peacetime patrolling. Specifically eight are configured with anti-submarine warfare and four with command and control and specialist capabilities.

India: Military Aircraft

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with his Indian counterpart on India's combat aircraft project.

Quentin Davies: The Secretary of State for Defence currently plans to visit India later this year, when he will discuss matters of mutual interest.

Japan: Military Aircraft

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with his Japanese counterpart on Japan's plans to increase its number of fighter jets.

Quentin Davies: The former Secretary of State for Defence met Defense Minister Hamada in February at the 45th Security Policy Conference held in Munich where they discussed, among other issues, Japan's future fighter programme plans. A Defence ministerial visit is planned for later this year which will look to further UK-Japan co-operation and bilateral defence exchanges.

Official Hospitality

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution his Department makes towards hospitality expenses in respect of the funerals of members of the armed forces killed in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The MOD does not contribute specifically towards hospitality expenses in respect of funerals. When a service person (including a member of the reserve forces when on duty) dies it is MOD policy to arrange a funeral at public expense or provide funding towards the cost of a private funeral dependant upon the wishes of the next of kin. If a family chooses to have a publicly funded service funeral, a grant of 500 is paid to the next of kin or executor of the estate to help cover incidental expenses. When a family chooses to have a private funeral, a higher grant is paid towards the cost of funeral expenses. This can be up to a maximum of 2,876.00 if the family have taken responsibility for all the arrangements themselves.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Demos

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what  (a) private meetings and  (b) public engagements Ministers in his Department have attended at which representatives from the think-tank Demos were present in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Departmental Secondment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff are on secondment from his Department to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

David Kidney: DECC currently have five staff seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Departmental Secondment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff are on secondment from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to his Department.

David Kidney: DECC currently have no secondments from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Departmental Training

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

David Kidney: Special advisers receive training as appropriate to enable them to fulfil their duties and responsibilities as set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. Since DECC was created in October 2008, its special advisers have not attended any training courses.

Electric Cables

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the forthcoming national policy statement on electricity transmission networks will require good design, as defined in the Planning Act 2008, to be considered in the construction of new overhead transmission lines.

David Kidney: The Secretary of State will have regard to the desirability of achieving good design as part of the overall objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in relation to national policy statements. This is a requirement of the Planning Act 2008 and will apply to all energy NPSs including those covering electricity networks. National policy on good design will therefore be addressed in the national policy statements.

Energy: Prices

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department has on the number of energy supply company customers who are on social tariffs; and whether social tariffs are available to new customers of each of the energy supply companies.

David Kidney: Ofgem monitors the suppliers' social programmes on behalf of Government. In its latest report published in December 2008 Ofgem gave the latest data on discounted and social tariffs for 2007-08. A copy of the report can be found at
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documentsl/Monitoring%20Suppliers%20Social%20 Spend%20171.08.pdf
	The number of customer accounts on social tariffs per supplier, using Ofgem's definition at that time, that a social tariff had to be as good as the supplier's standard direct debit tariff, was:
	
		
			  Supplier  Tariff name  Total customer accounts as at 31 March 2008 
			 British Gas Essentials (Electricity) 113,584 
			  Essentials (Gas) 200,845 
			  Total 314,429 
			
			 EDF Energy Energy Assist (Electricity) 46,130 
			  Energy Assist (Gas) 15,742 
			  Total 61,872 
			
			 E.ON Social StayWarm (Electricity) 26,833 
			  Social StayWarm (Gas) 25,495 
			  Total 52,328 
			
			 npower First Step (Electricity) 2,108 
			  First Step (Gas) 1,398 
			  Total 3,506 
			
			 Scottish Power Social tariff launched on 1 April 2008  
			
			 SSE EnergyPlus Care (Electricity) 15,282 
			  EnergyPlus Care (Gas) 11,077 
			  Total 26,359 
			
			 Total Electricity 203,937 
			  Gas 254,557 
			  Total customer accounts 458,494 
		
	
	In this same report Ofgem also estimated that as at the end of October 2008 there were over 800,000 customer accounts benefiting from a social or discounted tariff.
	In a report published by Ofgem in July 2008,
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Monitoring_suppliers_10508.pdf
	Ofgem set out its new criteria for what constitutes a social tariff. To qualify as a social tariff it has to be at least as good as the lowest tariff in a customer's area. Ofgem will report formally on the suppliers' social programmes later this summer. The report will include information on whether existing social tariffs and any other new versions that have been introduced by the suppliers since its last report are or continue to be consistent with the revised definition of a social tariff.
	The Department does not hold any specific information on the average length of time a customer has to be with an energy supplier before being able to apply for a social or discounted tariff. However, in their December 2008 report on suppliers' social programmes, Ofgem supplied details of the qualifying criteria for the suppliers' social and discounted tariffs. This information shows that there is no minimum qualifying period for a customer to be eligible for suppliers' social and discounted tariffs with the exception of E.On's WarmAssist tariff, where a customer has to be with the company for at least a year before qualifying.

International Renewable Energy Agency

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has held with his counterpart in  (a) Germany,  (b) Austria,  (c) Denmark and  (d) the United Arab Emirates on their bids to host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency; and whether he plans to support any candidate;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the subject of UK membership of the International Renewable Energy Agency;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has held with his counterpart in  (a) Canada,  (b) China,  (c) Japan,  (d) India,  (e) Brazil,  (f) Australia and  (g) the US on membership of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

David Kidney: holding answer 23 June 2009
	I am pleased to announce that the UK joined the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on 26 June 2009.
	We have for some months been in close and regular contact with both the German Government and other key participants in IRENA. We have fully supported and actively participated in the process for establishing the new organisation.
	As a member, the UK will now work to ensure that IRENA becomes a key force in the promotion of a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale.
	The UK will participate fully in the second meeting of the Preparatory Commission on 29-30 June 2009. Decisions on the future location of the new organisation, and on the appointment of its Director-General, will be taken in the light of discussion at that meeting.

International Renewable Energy Agency

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1003W, on the International Renewable Energy Agency, what recent discussions he has had with his German counterparts on a timetable for UK membership of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

David Kidney: holding answer 24 June 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today to his questions 281421, 281422, and 281423.

Radioactive Materials: Thorp

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons the THORP reprocessing plant is not operational; for how long he expects the plant to be non-operational; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: holding answer 16 June 2009
	THORP is currently operating on a batch by batch basis where each batch requires its own safety justification. Existing policy for THORP is the plant will continue to operate until existing contracts have been completed or the plant is no longer economic.

Renewable Energy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential effect of measures in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill on  (a) tidal stream technology and  (b) off-shore wind power generation.

David Kidney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues including the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a range of issues, including in relation to marine and renewable energy.

Renewable Energy: Pembrokeshire

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had on the potential development of marine renewable energy projects off the Pembrokeshire coast.

David Kidney: I have not had any discussions recently on the potential development of marine renewable energy projects off the Pembrokeshire coast. However, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change and DECC officials have had contact with a developer who plans to deploy wave energy devices off the Pembrokeshire coast.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to answer Question  (a) 273929,  (b) 273930,  (c) 273931 and  (d) 273932, tabled on 5 May 2009, on the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow.

David Kidney: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change replied to the hon. Member's questions on 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 513W.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Common Fisheries Policy

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on proposals to reform the Common Fisheries Policy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I spoke at the April and May Councils of Fisheries Ministers. On both occasions I, and my EU counterparts, presented our respective initial reactions to the Green Paper on CFP reform published by the European Commission in April.

Oyster Fishery: Essex

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the sustainability of the Colchester native oyster fishery off the Essex coast; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has made no assessment of the sustainability of the Colchester native oyster fishery.

Coastal Access

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on rights of appeal against a coastal access report under the provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Following concerns raised during the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the Bill and during its passage through the House of Lords, we brought forward schedule 1A to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, as inserted by schedule 19 to the Marine and Coastal Access Bill. This will enable those with a relevant interest in affected land to make objections should they believe the proposals in Natural England's coastal access reports fail to strike a fair balance on certain grounds.

Bluefin Tuna

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to protect bluefin tuna stocks in EU waters.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stocks are governed by the management plan agreed at the 2008 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). This includes tight controls on minimum sizes, shortened fishing seasons, a trade documentation scheme and enhanced inspection and observer schemes. ICCAT will also implement a comprehensive fleet capacity reduction plan. The UK encouraged the Commission to adopt a stringent conservation approach so that all fishing for bluefin is heavily regulated.

Dairy Industry

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the future of the dairy industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The longer term prospects for the dairy sector are encouraging and the UK is well placed to take advantage of the expected growth in global demand. The British dairy sector as a whole is fundamentally sound and through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum we are providing a framework for constructive debate and information for the industry to make informed decisions about its future.

Dairy Industry

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to assist the dairy farming sector.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Working with industry, through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum we are providing a framework for constructive debate and information for the supply chain to make informed decisions about its future. The Forum also considers sector efficiency and sustainable development.

Pitt Report

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the implementation of the recommendations in the Pitt report; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA Ministers and officials maintain regular contact with relevant bodies on a range of issues concerning the recommendations set out in Sir Michael Pitt's report into the 2007 summer floods, in particular to maintain a dialogue on progress against the action plan that the Government have set out. An update report detailing the progress Government have made in implementing the report's recommendations was published on 25 June.

Renewable Energy

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to increase the proportion of waste from which energy is derived; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: Government are committed to maximising energy recovered from unavoidable residual waste, making the most of its potential to contribute to our climate change and wider environmental objectives. The Renewable Energy Strategy, due for publication this summer, will set out how we will support the supply of biomass waste for energy and the necessary infrastructure.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated to the development of agricultural businesses in  (a) Mid- Bedfordshire constituency and  (b) the East of England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table gives, by financial year, funding in the East of England region from 1998-99 onwards(1) (data for 1997-98 are not readily available electronically). Separate figures are not available for the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency. These figures include payments made under Rural Development Programmes since 2000, agri-environment payments made prior to that date and payments made directly to agricultural businesses by the East of England Development Agency.
	(1) Figures obtained from DEFRA, East of England Development Agency and Natural England.
	
		
			   Total () 
			 1998-99 3,000 
			 1999-2000 2,951,000 
			 2000-01 10,617,000 
			 2001-02 13,359,000 
			 2002-03 16,934,000 
			 2003-04 21,645,000 
			 2004-05 29,093,000 
			 2005-06 33,101,000 
			 2006-07 42,613,000 
			 2007-08 51,088,000 
			 2008-09 56,428,000 
			 Grand total 277,832,000

Agriculture: Subsidies

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated to  (a) the Rural Payments Agency,  (b) Natural England and  (c) regional development agencies for the purposes of the administration of funding allocated under the common agricultural policy in 2008-09; and how much funding his Department has allocated for those purposes in 2009-10.

Dan Norris: DEFRA allocated 202 million in 2008-09 and 183 million in 2009-10 to the Rural Payments Agency for the purposes of administering the funding allocated under the common agricultural policy.
	Natural England was allocated 13.6 million in 2008-09 and 14.6 million in 2009-10 to cover its direct costs associated with administering the pillar 2 axis 2 spend in the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) under the common agricultural policy. These administration costs are less than 4 per cent. of the value of the RDPE programme.
	4.95 million was transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in each year to cover the costs of regional development agencies' delivery of the socio-economic measures of the Rural Development Programme for England.

Floods: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has provided for flood preparedness and flood defence projects in Birmingham in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Birmingham city council has been successful in securing 153,900 of DEFRA funding to provide household level resilience measures to 27 properties in the Frankley area of Birmingham.
	The Environment Agency advises that it has also funded various maintenance works over the last 12 months which total approximately 490,000.

Incinerators: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, column 578W, on waste disposal: Newcastle upon Tyne, whether his Department issues guidance to local authorities on the inclusion of incinerators as a waste management option in private finance initiative contracts for waste disposal.

Dan Norris: All private finance initiative (PFI) guidance is technology neutral and seeks to ensure that authorities and their procurements obtain value for money. DEFRA does however provide guidance on appraising residual waste infrastructure options. The guidance is available on DEFRA's website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/funding/pfi/procurement-pack.htm
	I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 25 June 2009, Official Report, column 1097W, which clarifies DEFRA's policy on technology choice for PFI projects.

Sheep Dipping: Organophosphates

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to protect farm workers from health problems associated with the use of organophosphate sheep dip.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Over the years the Government have taken a series of measures aimed at minimising any risks from exposure to organophosphates used as sheep dips.
	These include:
	introducing a requirement that those purchasing OP sheep dips hold certificates of competence in their use;
	introducing a requirement that those dipping are to be supervised by a certificate of competence holder;
	introduction of closed transfer systems designed to minimise the risk of users coming into contact with OP dip concentrate;
	improving the available guidance (including on the product label) on the safe use of OPs;
	introducing additional requirements for protective clothing.
	All of the Government's measures have been based on the best scientific evidence and advice available at the time. The Government will continue to seek expert advice on this issue and will not hesitate to take appropriate and proportionate regulatory action on the basis of any new evidence.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009,  Official Report, column 964W, on Afghanistan: detainees, whether the British embassy in Washington notified officials in his Department of the transfer of detainees from Guantnamo Bay to Bermuda before those detainees arrived in Bermuda.

David Miliband: Our embassy in Washington notified officials in London as soon as they were made aware by the US Administration, a few hours before the former detainees arrived in Bermuda early on 11 June 2009.

Afghanistan: Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, column 631W, on Afghanistan: detainees. whether the agreement between the United States and the Government of Bermuda regarding the transfer of inmates from Guantnamo Bay includes financial provisions; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The US has committed to pay to the Government of Bermuda costs of up to US$100,000 to assist with the living expenses of the four former detainees from Guantnamo Bay.

Afghanistan: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what representations the Government have made to the Government of Afghanistan on ensuring the safety from violent attacks on female journalists in Afghanistan;
	(2)  what recent reports his Department has received of violent attacks on female journalists in Afghanistan.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware that attacks against female journalists have taken place, for example the attack on Zakia Zaki, who ran the private radio station Peace Radio. She was killed by multiple gunmen in her home north of Kabul, in the central province of Parwan, on 5 June 2007.
	We deplore attacks on any journalistmale or femaleand supported the joint EU-Norway declaration on freedom of expression made on 16 April 2009:
	http://www.delafg.ec.europa.eu/en/downloadable_documents/Nov_2008/Press_Release/DFE_16apr09.pdf
	We welcome the huge growth in independent Afghan media since 2001, but, as the declaration states, we are concerned about evidence of a gradual deterioration of the situation regarding freedom of expression, including the growing intimidation and violence targeting Afghan journalists, and challenges to the independence of the media.
	If the Afghan Government were to enact the new Media Law, already passed by the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament, it would do much to help ensure respect for freedom of expression, particularly in the run-up to the elections this August. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has raised this issue with President Karzai and we will continue to lobby the Afghan Government to pass the law.
	Strengthening the rule of law is also essential to protecting individuals, including journalists, from violence and intimidation. But the challenges are long-term and significant. We continue to support the Afghan authorities in developing an effective police force, improving access to justice and strengthening the formal justice system's ability to prosecute offenders and tackle corruption. In 2008-09, the UK allocated 29 million to strengthen Afghan interdiction and law enforcement capacity.

Cluster Munitions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions; and when he expects the ratification process to be completed.

Ivan Lewis: It is the Government's intention to ratify the Convention as soon as possible. In accordance with Article 9 of the Convention of Cluster Munitions, the criminal offences to enforce the Convention's prohibitions on use, development, production, stockpiling, retention and transfer of cluster munitions need to be in place before ratification. A Cluster Munitions Prohibitions Bill which will create the necessary criminal offences has a place in the Government's Draft Legislative Programme that was published on 29 June 2009.

Cyber Security: Finance

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of establishing a cyber security operations centre.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	The cyber security operations centre (CSOC) will be established in September 2009 to bring together existing multi-agency efforts to provide situational awareness, analysis and incident response co-ordination in the cyber security field, making sure that new and existing resources are used to best effect in the areas where they are needed the most. The additional resources for the Government's overall cyber security programme will be reported to the House in the autumn.

European Council: Meetings

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the meetings of the European Council in 2010 and 2011 are scheduled to take place.

Chris Bryant: European Council meetings for the first half of 2010 (under the Spanish presidency) are scheduled to take place on 25-26 March and 17-18 June 2010. Dates for European Council meetings in the second half of 2010 and 2011 have yet to be set.

European Union: Jordan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the EU-Jordan Informal Summit on 17 June 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The discussions between the EU and Jordan on 17 June 2009 focused on peace in the Middle-East. The Jordanian delegation, led by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, and the EU agreed on the importance of making rapid progress. Achieving peace in the Middle-East is also a high priority for the EU and for the UK. We will continue to work towards a comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution, involving a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.

Honduras: Politics and Government

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the political situation in Honduras; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: We condemn the forcible removal of President Manuel Zelaya from Honduras on Sunday 28 June 2009. Along with others, the UK has called for a swift resolution of the situation and the restoration of the legitimate, democratic Government of the country. I issued a statement to this effect on 28 June 2009 condemning President Zelaya's expulsion. The UK also supported a UN General Assembly Resolution, adopted unanimously on 30 June 2009, which condemned these events which have
	interrupted the democratic and constitutional order and the legitimate exercise of power in Honduras.
	The resolution also demanded the restoration of the Government, and called on states not to recognise any Government other than the constitutionally elected one. Demonstrations have been occurring in Honduras and the military are deployed on the streets of the capital Tegucigalpa. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and call for the peaceful resolution in accordance with the constitutional order of Honduras and the principles of rule of law and democracy.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 6 April 2009 on his constituent, Ms Daphne Green of Chelmsford.

Chris Bryant: I replied to the hon. Member on 1 July 2009.

Tamils

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of violent extremism in the UK connected with Tamil extremists.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	As a matter of policy we do not disclose assessments of levels of terrorist activity and violent extremism in the UK by members of specific communities. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) is responsible for assessing the terrorist threat to this country and UK interests overseas, and Ministers play no part in that decision-making process. The general UK threat level has been publicly available since August 2006 and currently stands at 'Severe'.
	The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTETamil Tigers) has for many years been the main terrorist organisation connected to Tamil affairs in Sri Lanka.
	The LTTE remains a proscribed organisation in the UK, and membership, fundraising and various other activities in support of the organisation are criminal offences. The prosecution of terrorist offences committed in support of the LTTE is the responsibility of the police and Crown Prosecution Service.

HEALTH

Abortion: Health Services

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much medical services assigned to the termination of pregnancies under the Abortion Act 1967 cost the NHS in each of the last five years; and what estimate has been made of the cost of such services in 2009-10.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the total cost of medical and surgical termination of pregnancies undertaken by national health service organisations between 2003-04 and 2007-08, the latest five years for which information is available.
	
		
			  Cost of abortions 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Total cost of abortions undertaken by NHS organisations ( million) 
			 2003-04 69.4 
			 2004-05 76.4 
			 2005-06 81.1 
			 2006-07 83.5 
			 2007-08 84.1 
			  Notes: 1. Figures taken from schedule 4 (NHS trusts and primary care trusts combined) of the national schedules of reference costs for the financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08. 2. Figures do not include abortions performed by private sector organisations under contract to the NHS. 3. Figures include day cases, electives (including excess bed days), non-electives (including excess bed days), out-patient procedures and regular day and night admissions. 4. Total costs are the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) multiplied by the national average unit cost and the number of excess bed days multiplied by the national average unit cost. 5. National average unit costs are calculated on a weighted basis. 6. 2003-04 to 2005-06 costs were collected on Healthcare Resource Group version 3.5 (HRG3.5) and include: (a) M09Threatened or Spontaneous Abortion (b) M10Surgical Termination of Pregnancy (c) M11Medical Termination of Pregnancy 7. 2006-07 and 2007-08 costs were collected on HRG4 and include: (a) MA15AVacuum Aspiration with Rigid Cannula for nine weeks gestation or more (b) MA15BVacuum aspiration with Rigid Cannula for less than nine weeks gestation (c) MA16ZVacuum Aspiration with Flexible Cannula (d) MA17ADilation and evacuation 20 weeks or more (e) MA17BDilation and evacuation less than 20 weeks (f) MA18ZMedical Termination of Pregnancy 
		
	
	No estimate has been made for the cost of NHS abortions in 2009-10.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions there were for diagnosis code  (a) F10.0,  (b) F10.1,  (c) F10.2,  (d) F10.3,  (e) F10.4,  (f) F10.5,  (g) F10.6,  (h) F10.7,  (i) F10.8 and  (j) F10.9 for (i) males and (ii) females aged (A) under 14, (B) 14 to 17 and (C) 18 years and over in (1) each region and (2) each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 1 July 2009
	The information is shown in a table which has been placed in the Library.
	On advice from the NHS Information Centre for health and social care (Information Centre) data by primary care trust (PCT) have not been given; instead data have been given by strategic health authority (SHA). This is because the small number of patients at PCT level requires that all of the data for the 14 to 17 age group and the majority of the 18 and over age group would have to be suppressed, to prevent any identification of individuals, which means that the data which could be supplied would be meaningless.
	Additionally, the Information Centre has advised that SHA data be used instead of Government Office Region (GOR) data. SHAs have very similar boundaries to GOR, with the exception of South East Coast SHA and South Central SHA, which are together aggregated to South East GOR. It should be noted that after 2005-06 the SHA configurations changed, with the 28 SHAs merging to form 10 larger SHAs.
	The number of admissions does not represent the number of patients as one patient may have been admitted more than once.

Allergies: Health Services

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Services plans to meet representatives of the National Allergy Strategy Group to discuss allergy services.

Ann Keen: I wrote to the National Allergy Strategy Group on 15 May this year accepting their request for a meeting and we are in the process of organising a convenient date.

Breast Cancer: Males

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what campaigns his Department has undertaken to raise public awareness of male breast cancer in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: While the Department has not funded any national male breast cancer awareness campaigns in the last two years, we are working to improve cancer symptom awareness and encourage earlier presentation across all cancers, including male cancers. This is being taken forward through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, formally launched in November 2008.
	Through the initiative, almost 5 million has been allocated to the national health service to support cancer networks and primary care trusts in implementing local services that will improve awareness of cancers and promote early diagnosis.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the incidence of cancer with each ICD-10 classification.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what is latest estimate of the incidence of cancer with each ICD-10 classification.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2006. The incidence of cancer with each ICD-10 classification in 2006 is in Table 1.
	These figures have been published in Cancer Statistics Registrations. Registration of cancer diagnosed in 2006, England, Series MB1, No. 37. This volume will be placed in the House of Commons Library and can be accessed on the Office for National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=8843Pos=ColRank=lRank=272
	
		
			  Table 1: Registration of newly diagnosed cases of cancer for each ICD-10 in England, 2006 
			  ICD-10 code  Site description  All ages 
			 C00 Malignant neoplasm of lip 236 
			 C01 Malignant neoplasm of base of tongue 334 
			 C02 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of tongue 955 
			 C03 Malignant neoplasm of gum 203 
			 C04 Malignant neoplasm of floor of mouth 313 
			 C05 Malignant neoplasm of palate 283 
			 C06 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of mouth 411 
			 C07 Malignant neoplasm of parotid gland 382 
			 C08 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified major salivary glands 124 
			 C09 Malignant neoplasm of tonsil 700 
			 C10 Malignant neoplasm of oropharynx 175 
			 C11 Malignant neoplasm of nasopharynx 207 
			 C12 Malignant neoplasm of pyriform sinus 262 
			 C13 Malignant neoplasm of hypopharynx 126 
			 C14 Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites in the lip, oral cavity and pharynx 201 
			 C15 Malignant neoplasm of oesophagus 6,353 
			 C16 Malignant neoplasm of stomach 6,216 
			 C17 Malignant neoplasm of small intestine 710 
			 C18 Malignant neoplasm of colon 19,043 
			 C19 Malignant neoplasm of rectosigmoid junction 2,345 
			 C20 Malignant neoplasm of rectum 8,658 
			 C21 Malignant neoplasm of anus and anal canal 744 
			 C22 Malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts 2,571 
			 C23 Malignant neoplasm of gallbladder 507 
			 C24 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of biliary tract 708 
			 C25 Malignant neoplasm of pancreas 6,432 
			 C26 Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined digestive organs 638 
			 C30 Malignant neoplasm of nasal cavity and middle ear 213 
			 C31 Malignant neoplasm of accessory sinuses 124 
			 C32 Malignant neoplasm of larynx 1,708 
			 C33 Malignant neoplasm of trachea 40 
			 C34 Malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung 31,127 
			 C37 Malignant neoplasm of thymus 104 
			 C38 Malignant neoplasm of heart, mediastinum and pleura 218 
			 C39 Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites in the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs 3 
			 C40 Malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of limbs 208 
			 C41 Malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of other and unspecified sites 222 
			 C43 Malignant melanoma of skin 8,658 
			 C44 Other malignant neoplasms of skin 67,042 
			 C45 Mesothelioma 2,024 
			 C46 Kaposi's sarcoma 125 
			 C47 Malignant neoplasm of peripheral nerves and autonomic nervous system 79 
			 C48 Malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum 436 
			 C49 Malignant neoplasm of other connective and soft tissue 1,155 
			 C50 Malignant neoplasm of breast 38,279 
			 C51 Malignant neoplasm of vulva 862 
			 C52 Malignant neoplasm of vagina 203 
			 C53 Malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri 2,321 
			 C54 Malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri 5,648 
			 C55 Malignant neoplasm of uterus, part unspecified 262 
			 C56 Malignant neoplasm of ovary 5,346 
			 C57 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified female genital organs 182 
			 C58 Malignant neoplasm of placenta 7 
			 C60 Malignant neoplasm of penis 415 
			 C61 Malignant neoplasm of prostate 30,024 
			 C62 Malignant neoplasm of testis 1,693 
			 C63 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified male genital organs 44 
			 C64 Malignant neoplasm of kidney, except renal pelvis 5,454 
			 C65 Malignant neoplasm of renal pelvis 422 
			 C66 Malignant neoplasm of ureter 362 
			 C67 Malignant neoplasm of bladder 8,373 
			 C68 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified urinary organs 168 
			 C69 Malignant neoplasm of eye and adnexa 349 
			 C70 Malignant neoplasm of meninges 59 
			 C71 Malignant neoplasm of brain 3,603 
			 C72 Malignant neoplasm of spinal cord, cranial nerves and other parts of central nervous system 104 
			 C73 Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland 1,674 
			 C74 Malignant neoplasm of adrenal gland 150 
			 C75 Malignant neoplasm of other endocrine glands and related structures 80 
			 C76 Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites 424 
			 C77 Secondary and unspecified malignant neoplasm of lymph nodes 643 
			 C78 Secondary malignant neoplasm of respiratory and digestive organs 3,236 
			 C79 Secondary malignant neoplasm of other sites 1,165 
			 C80 Malignant neoplasm without specification of site 4,734 
			 C81 Hodgkin's disease 1,351 
			 C82 Follicular (nodular) non-Hodgkins's lymphoma 1,448 
			 C83 Diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 3,986 
			 C84 Peripheral and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas 575 
			 C85 Other and unspecified types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 2,759 
			 C88 Malignant immunoproliferative diseases 194 
			 C90 Multiple myeloma and malignant plasma cell neoplasms 3,242 
			 C91 Lymphoid leukaemia 2,963 
			 C92 Myeloid leukaemia 2,768 
			 C93 Monocytic leukaemia 46 
			 C94 Other leukaemias of specified cell type 24 
			 C95 Leukaemia of unspecified cell type 224 
			 C96 Other and unspecified malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue 37 
			 C97 Malignant neoplasms of independent (primary) multiple sites 0 
			 C00-C97 All cancers(1) 309,226 
			 (1) AH cancers, coded to C00-C97 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision ([CD-10).  Source: Office for National Statistics

Cancer: Health Services

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS meets the deadline of December 2009 for the implementation of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on improving supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer.

Ann Keen: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidance on supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer in March 2004. The National Cancer Action Team is working closely with cancer networks to monitor and support the implementation of this guidance by the end of December 2009. Plans for the implementation of this guidance are now in place in every cancer network, and it is expected to be fully implemented by the December 2009 deadline.

Cancer: Research

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department allocated to research into  (a) cancer and  (b) ovarian cancer in the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The most recent available information in respect of the departmental and national health service expenditure on cancer research is shown in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 140 
			 2004-05 150 
			 2005-06 168 
			 2006-07 161 
			 2007-08 159 
		
	
	The Medical Research Council and other research councils funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills also invest significantly in cancer research. Comparable information in relation to ovarian cancer research is not held centrally.
	Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's research and development budget has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Those organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. They do not provide details of research into particular cancer sites.
	The National Cancer Research Institute, a United Kingdom wide partnership between Government, charities and industry, makes cancer research information available online via the International Cancer Research Portfolio database at:
	www.cancerportfolio.org
	Details of current departmental and Medical Research Council site-specific cancer research can be found through this database.

Cardiovascular System: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing  (a) a national identity and  (b) an information strategy for his Department's vascular checks programme.

Ann Keen: An identity for the NHS Health Check programme working under the NHS brand has been developed to support the promotion of the NHS Health Check programme. Identity guidelines are available at:
	www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk
	Nationally produced NHS Health Check information materials are being developed and made available to primary care trusts. The Department has worked with key stakeholders to develop and test the information leaflet to be sent out with invitations for the check or with a confirmation of an appointment; this has been placed in the Library.
	A section of the NHS Choices website:
	www.nhs.uk/nhshealthcheck
	and a national NHS Health Check telephone helpline (0845 850 9850) have been set up to provide further information to people invited for a NHS Health Check.

Dental Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of appointments with dentists offering an NHS service which have been made in each region in each month of the last two years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected.
	However information is available on the number of patients seen by a national health service dentist in the previous 24 months in England in Table Dl, Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics, Quarter 3: 31 December 2008 report. Information is available at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 31 December 2008, and is provided at primary care trust and strategic health authority level.
	This report has already been placed in the Library. It is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q3

Dental Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests for appointments with dentists offering an NHS service in each region have been refused on the basis that the dental practice had used its allocation of NHS funding in each month of the last two years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have made claims under the NHS Low Income Scheme in respect of NHS dental charges in each of the last five years; and how much has been paid out from the scheme in each such year.

Ann Keen: Patients who make an application to the National Health Service Low Income Scheme and who are assessed as qualifying for help with NHS charges receive a certificate which entitles them to free NHS dental treatment or a partial reduction in their liability to pay charges, according to their individual circumstances.
	Patients may qualify for free NHS dental treatment on a number of grounds, including being in receipt of one of a number of specified benefits or allowances or qualifying for assistance under the NHS Low Income Scheme. Information is not available centrally on the number of courses of dental treatment provided to patients who claim an entitlement under the NHS Low Income Scheme in particular, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Dental Services: North West

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dentistry in  (a) Merseyside and  (b) Crosby constituency.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of patients seen in the most recent 24-month period is available in Table D3 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England, Quarter 3, 31 December 2008 report. Information is provided at quarterly intervals from 31 March 2006 to 31 December 2008. This report, published on 21 May 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q3
	The numbers of dentists with national health service activity during the years ending 31 March 2007 and 2008 are available in Table G1 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007/08 report. This report, published on 21 August 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also on the Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708
	Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
	Workforce figures relate to headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Information in both reports is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) but is not available by constituency. They are based on the PCT boundaries which came into effect on 1 October 2006.
	All 10 SHAs have set themselves the aim of providing access to NHS dentistry for all who seek it by March 2011 at the latest.
	We are supporting PCTs to meet this aim with extra resourcesan 11 per cent. uplift in our dental funding allocations for 2008-09, and a further 8.5 per cent, uplift in total funds for 2009-10, which takes the total available for dental allocations to 2,257 million (net of patient charge income).
	We have also set up an expanded national dental access programme, headed by Dr. Mike Warburton, an experienced clinician and manager, to support managers and clinicians to rapidly expand services where needed.
	The report of the Independent Review of Dentistry in England, published on 22 June, recommends a series of further actions to support access and quality. Piloting of the recommendations will begin from this autumn.

Drugs: Misuse

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions there were for diagnosis code  (a) F11.0,  (b) F11.1,  (c) F11.2,  (d) F11.3,  (e) F11.4,  (f) F11.5,  (g) F11.6,  (h) F11.7,  (i) F11.8 and  (j) F11.9 for (i) males and (ii) females aged (A) under 14, (B) 14 to 17 and (C) 18 years and over in (1) each region and (2) each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 1 July 2009
	The information is shown in a table which has been placed in the Library.
	On advice from the NHS Information Centre for health and social care (Information Centre) data by primary care trust (PCT) have not been given; instead data have been given by strategic health authority (SHA). This is because the small number of patients at PCT level requires that all of the data for the 14 to 17 age group and the majority of the 18 and over age group would have to be suppressed, to prevent any identification of individuals, which means that the data which could be supplied would be meaningless.
	Additionally, the Information Centre has advised that SHA data be used instead of Government Office Region (GOR) data. SHAs have very similar boundaries to GOR, with the exception of South East Coast SHA and South Central SHA, which are together aggregated to South East GOR. It should be noted that after 2005-06 the SHA configurations changed, with the 28 SHAs merging to form 10 larger SHAs.
	The number of admissions does not represent the number of patients as one patient may have been admitted more than once.

Drugs: Side Effects

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of adverse incidents associated with the use of medicines outside their licensed indication in the last 12 months.

Mike O'Brien: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme; the Yellow Card Scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the United Kingdom for all medicines, including those from prescriptions, over-the-counter and general retail sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.
	In 2008, the MHRA received 25,375 UK spontaneous suspected ADR reports in total. It is not possible to estimate from the Yellow Card Scheme the exact number of people who suffer adverse reactions to drugs used outside their licensed indication since the MHRA's database for adverse drug reactions does not differentiate between suspected ADRs for drugs used within or outside of their licensed indications for use.

Food Standards Agency: Public Appointments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in recruiting a new Chair of the Food Standards Agency.

Gillian Merron: The position of Chair of the Food Standards Agency is appointed jointly by the Secretary of State for Health and the Health Ministers in the devolved Administrations. The role was advertised in March 2009 for a period of four weeks. The application period closed on 14 April. The selection panel shortlisted the applications in May and interviewed candidates in June. Ministers considered the panel's recommendations and agreed Lord Rooker as the preferred candidate.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has invited the House of Commons Health Select Committee to scrutinise the preferred candidate prior to appointment. The Committee are due to scrutinise the appointment on 6 July 2009.
	The process, run by the Appointments Commission, is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and has been conducted in accordance with the Commissioner's Code of Practice for Public Appointments, involving an independent assessor at all stages, including the shortlist and interview panel.

Health Hazards: Aerials

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has evaluated on the potential effects on health of mobile telephone masts; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry has supported a number of studies into the possible health effects of radio frequency technology relating both to mobile telephone masts and hand-held mobile phones. The MTHR programme published its first report in September 2007. None of the 23 individual studies reported under this programme to date demonstrates that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radio frequency exposure from mobile phones or telecommunications base stations (masts). Ongoing studies include a case control study of cancer incidence in early childhood and proximity to mobile phone base stations.
	The MTHR programme management committee recognised that some concerns still remain and proposed some additional work. Further studies in this second phase are under way. Details of all MTHR projects can be found on the MTHR website at:
	www.mthr.org.uk/research_projects/research.htm
	The Health Protection Agency's (HPA's) Radiation Protection Division keeps the relevant research publications under continual review largely through its independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR). Information on AGNIR can be found at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733801791
	The HPA provides advice on electromagnetic fields and health to Government and the general public at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebPage HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1158934607786?p=l158934607786

Heart Diseases: Medical Equipment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will have discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the provision of oxygen cylinders and the transportation of medical equipment free of charge for those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are travelling by air.

Ann Keen: There are no current plans to do so. Although specific arrangements are available on request within the national health service to support patients who require oxygen in multiple locations, including holidays within England, there are no imposed arrangements to support the transportation by patients of their own oxygen and medical equipment by air. Each airline has its own regulations about whether they allow patients to take their own oxygen cylinders or medical equipment on board; or whether the airline will supply the equipment (usually at a fee). Before considering flying, those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who require provision of oxygen should also consider consulting their general practitioner about their fitness to fly.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of average waiting times for hospital treatment in  (a) Merseyside and  (b) Crosby constituency.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect referral to treatment waiting times data at constituency level or at county level. However, the following table shows the average referral to treatment times for the Sefton primary care trust (PCT) which serves the Crosby constituency and for neighbouring PCTs in April 2009 (latest published data):
	
		
			  Median referral to treatment times 
			  Weeks 
			   Admitted pathways  Non-admitted pathways 
			 Sefton Primary Care Trust 7.2 4.9 
			 Halton and St Helens Primary Care Trust 7.6 4.0 
			 Wirral Primary Care Trust 8.8 3.7 
			 Liverpool Primary Care Trust 6.9 4.1 
			 Knowsley Primary Care Trust 7.3 4.4 
			  Source: Department of Health referral to treatment data

Hyperactivity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated to the NHS research and development programme for research into treatments and services for patients with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the last five years.

Gillian Merron: Both the Department and the Medical Research Council support attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research. Available annual expenditure data are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on ADHD research 
			  000 
			   Department of Health  Medical Research Council 
			 2004-05 0 480 
			 2005-06 0 380 
			 2006-07 88 594 
			 2007-08 613 294 
			 2008-09 710 (1) 
			 (1 )Not yet available. 
		
	
	The departmental figures relate to national research programmes. They do not include expenditure on ADHD research from the research and development allocations made from 2004-05 to 2007-08 to national health service organisations as that information is not held centrally.
	The National Institute for Health Research's clinical research network is currently supporting 12 studies concerned with ADHD.

Independent Review of NHS Dental Services in England

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) full-time,  (b) full-time equivalent and  (c) part-time staff from his Department provided support for the production and publication of the report of the Independent Review of NHS Dental Services in England;
	(2)  what the cost was of staff provided by his Department for the production of the Independent Review of NHS Dental Services in England.

Ann Keen: Staff to support the review were provided by dedicated project support teams from within existing departmental resources.
	This incurred no additional cost to the Department.

Malaria

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported cases of malaria there have been in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Teesside and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The following table gives the numbers of reported cases of malaria for England and areas of the North East. Further breakdown by area is not available.
	
		
			   England  North East (Tyne and Wear, Durham, Cleveland, Northumberland) 
			 1999 1,978 5 
			 2000 1,981 2 
			 2001 1,987 3 
			 2002 1,886 6 
			 2003 1,667 4 
			 2004 1,572 4 
			 2005 1,691 16 
			 2006 1,682 5 
			 2007 1,472 6 
			 2008 1,312 3 
			  Source: The Health Protection Agency's Malaria Reference Laboratory

Meningitis: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's assessment of the two new candidate vaccines for the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Gillian Merron: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) reviewed the evidence on the two new candidate pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on 15 January 2009 and 18 February 2009.
	The minutes of the JCVI pneumococcal subgroup (15 January 2009) and minutes of JCVI meeting (18 February 2009) are available on the JCVI website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/ab/JCVI/DH_095054
	An Official Journal of the European Union advert has been placed for a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The contract is likely to be awarded in September.

Methadone: Young People

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) people,  (b) under 18-year-olds,  (c) under 16-year-olds and  (d) under 12-year-olds were treated with methadone in each of the last five years; and what the (i) mean, (ii) median and (iii) longest time was for which people in each category were on methadone in each year.

Gillian Merron: Information is not held centrally on the number or age of patients treated with a particular drug or the duration of their treatment programme. The following table shows the number of people receiving prescribing treatment for the previous four years.
	The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse's National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) has been collecting data on people in drug treatment in England since 2004-05. NDTMS records the numbers of people receiving specialist prescribing rather than the specific substitute drug a drug misuser in treatment is prescribed. Therefore while most receive oral methadone, some people may be prescribed buprenorphine or other substitute opioids.
	
		
			  Number of individuals receiving prescribing treatment (including methadone) 
			  England  Number 
			 2004-05 88,196 
			 2005-06 107,093 
			 2006-07 118,107 
			 2007-08 131,468

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2009,  Official Report, column 581W, on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, if he will place in the Library a copy of the version of the report sent to his Department on 20 February 2009 by the Healthcare Commission; and on what dates less complete versions were sent to his officials.

Mike O'Brien: Departmental officials received incomplete drafts, without substantive findings or appendices on 18 December 2008 and 6 February 2009. We do not propose to place them in the Library because they were provided in confidence to check factual accuracy. It is in the public interest that reports that are factually accurate should be published and that information for checking can be shared in confidence.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage uplift to the tariff to take account of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals and clinical guidelines has been in each year since the introduction of Payment by Results; which NICE technology appraisals have met the criteria for tariff adjustment; what the tariff adjustment was in each such case; and on what date each such NICE technology appraisal was published.

Mike O'Brien: The following table sets out the proportion of the annual tariff uplift that relates to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals, clinical guidelines and secondary care drugs prices:
	
		
			  Tariff year  Uplift (percentage) 
			 2009-10 1.0 
			 2008-09 0.7 
			 2007-08 1.0 
			 2006-07 1.2 
			 2005-06 1.1 
			  Notes: 1. Uplift figures are taken from information published each year to support the implementation of Payment by Results, available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/pbr 2. For consistency, the uplift figures combine NICE appraisals/clinical guidelines and secondary care drugs prices, as from 2008-09 onwards these elements have not been separately identified in the tariff uplift breakdown. 3. All figures are net of Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) adjustments. 4. Figures are provided from 2005-06 onwards, as this was the first year in which Payment by Results was applicable for all trusts. 
		
	
	Information on which NICE technology appraisals have met the criteria for tariff adjustment, and the dates on which they were published, is contained in the Payment by Results (PbR) guidance documents for the years 2005-06 to 2009-10. These guidance documents also contain information on specific adjustments made where NICE appraisals can be mapped to specific Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs).
	PbR guidance documents for 2005-06 to 2009-10 have been placed in the Library, and are also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/pbr
	Information on the proportion of the tariff uplift that can be assigned to individual NICE appraisals is not available. This is because when setting the tariff uplift, the Department makes use of a range of estimates and forecasts and makes a judgment about the appropriate level. In assessing the cost pressures associated with drugs and NICE appraisals, account is taken of the fact that some drugs and devices fall outside the scope of PbR (and are priced locally) or are subject to a specific HRG adjustment.
	It should be noted that NICE produce information on cost and financial impact on the national health service when they publish guidance. Further information is available on the NICE website at:
	www.nice.org.uk

NHS

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the quality adjusted life years formula with the NHS constitution.

Mike O'Brien: No such assessment has been made. The quality adjusted life year is an internationally recognised tool for measuring health outcomes that has been refined and verified over many years. It is helpful in assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of different health interventions, helping to balance the twin imperatives of high quality and good value. High quality care and best value for taxpayers' money are principles set out in the national health service constitution.

NHS: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress has been made in implementing  (a) recommendation 4 and  (b) the other recommendations made in the report by Professor Mike Richards on improving access to medicines for NHS patients, published on 4 November 2008;
	(2)  what progress has been made in the review by strategic health authorities of arrangements to support collaboration in  (a) decision-making on the use of new medicines,  (b) exceptional funding requests and  (c) the use of medicines outside their licensed indication.

Mike O'Brien: With regard to the progress made in implementing recommendation 4 of Professor Mike Richards' report and the review by strategic health authorities, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) on 25 June 2009,  Official Report, column 1119W.
	Good progress is being made in completing three out of four of the remaining recommendations.

NHS: Finance

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under which budget headings the 80 million of savings from the temporary reduction in value added tax to be used by the NHS for complementary support will be allocated.

Mike O'Brien: The 80 million of savings from the temporary reduction in the rate of value added tax has not been added to a specific budget but has been retained by primary care trusts (PCTs), as part of their general allocations. PCTs have been encouraged to use up to the 80 million savings to commission complementary servicesincluding debt advice and family counsellingwherever there is local need.

NHS: Sponsorship

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the acceptance of sponsorship from private enterprises; and how much each PCT received in private sponsorship in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 18 June 2009
	Previously guidance was sent out by the Department in 2000, and has been placed in the Library.
	The Department no longer gives specific guidance to primary care trusts on acceptance of sponsorship. National health service bodies may enter into commercial sponsorship arrangements to raise additional income, but they should avoid entering into arrangements with organisations that are perceived as being in conflict with health, for example tobacco companies.
	It is a matter for local NHS organisations to determine their own policy on this matter and they should use local arrangements to publicly declare sponsorship or any commercial relationship linked to the supply of goods or services and be prepared to be held to account for it. The information requested is not held centrally.
	Information on health services in the other United Kingdom countries is a matter for the other devolved Administrations.

NHS: Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an assessment of the effects of use of meditation techniques by NHS staff.

Gillian Merron: The use of meditation techniques for national health service staff would be a local decision. As part of a range of relaxation techniques for hypertension, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance in 2005 stated that routine provision by primary care teams was not currently recommended.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients died while on a waiting list for an NHS operation in  (a) the East of England,  (b) Essex and  (c) Castle Point in (i) 1997 and (ii) each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally.

Pain: Health Services

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were diagnosed with chronic pain in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what steps the NHS is taking to assist people diagnosed with chronic pain;
	(3)  how many specialist pain management services there are in the NHS in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England.

Ann Keen: The information requested on the number of people diagnosed with chronic pain and the number of specialist pain management services in the national health service is not collected centrally.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to commission services for people with chronic pain to meet the needs of their local population. The Department is supporting commissioning through the recent publication of an 18-week pathway for the management and treatment of chronic pain and treatments. NHS Choices has also provided information that will raise awareness of chronic pain and treatments.

Pain: Health Services

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by the NHS to tackle chronic pain in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The Department of Health does not hold the requested information for the Jarrow constituency. Figures detailing NHS expenditure on chronic pain in 2006-07 in South Tyneside Primary Care Trust (PCT)/North East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and England are given in the following table:
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   Gross expenditure (000) 
			 South Tyneside PCT 3,239 
			 North East SHA 63,505 
			 England level 1,007,704 
			 Notes: 1. England level data are estimated gross expenditure, and include core Department of Health, SHA and some special health authority expenditure as well as expenditure by PCTs. 2. PCT level data are estimated expenditure on own population. 3. Continual refinements are made to the calculation methodology and to underlying data sources which makes like-for-like comparisons between years difficult. 4. Expenditure across all sectors is included. 5. Disease specific expenditure will not include expenditure on prevention, or general practitioner expenditure, but will include prescribing expenditure. 6. Subcategory data for chronic pain were collected for the first time in 2006-07. These should be used with caution as they are in the early days of development.

Pharmacy: Crime

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to repeal the provisions of the Medicines Act 1968 which make a dispensing error by a pharmacist a criminal offence.

Mike O'Brien: The Government recognise concerns that specific provisions contained in the 1968 Medicines Act may be used to prosecute pharmacists who make a dispensing error.
	A full review of the Medicines Act is already under way by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This will include consideration of changes that may be made to the law to ensure that it provides the necessary safeguards for the public while being proportionate as to how instances of clinical error are dealt with. The MHRA is working closely with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and other stakeholders on the Medicines Act review.

Solihull Hospital: Maternity Services

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on the provision of local maternity services of implementation of the proposed changes to the services provided on the maternity ward in Solihull Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Service reconfiguration is a matter for the local national health service, in conjunction with clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders and an assessment of the potential changes to the services provided on the maternity ward in Solihull Hospital has therefore not been made by the Department.
	The West Midlands strategic health authority (SHA) reports that there are potential changes to the provision of maternity services provided by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust. It is the responsibility of the SHA to work with local commissioners, in this case Solihull Care Trust and Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust, to ensure that appropriate maternity services are commissioned, in line with Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service, published on 3 April 2007 (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library), and Safer Childbirth: Minimum Standards for the Organisation and Delivery of Care in Labour, published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in October 2007.

Swine Flu: Health Education

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of households in England have received information leaflets on swine flu.

Gillian Merron: It is estimated that the swine flu information leaflet was delivered to just under 95 per cent. of households in England. Distribution was carried out in May 2009.
	Extra copies of the leaflet were sent to general practitioner surgeries, pharmacies, halls of residence and primary care trusts as well as members of the publicity register, which consists of intermediary organisations that deal with the public, all of which were able to order further copies for distribution.
	The information leaflet is also available online at:
	www.nhs.uk
	www.direct.gov.uk/swineflu
	and
	www.dh.gov.uk
	It is available in foreign language translations, large print, Braille, audio CD and tape, BSL and an easy read version for people with learning disabilities.
	While every effort has been made to achieve delivery to 100 per cent. of households, residents in some flats or shared accommodation who have central mail boxes may have received only one leaflet per location.

Weather: Death

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research into the number of deaths caused by excessive heat in developed countries which regularly experience summer temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 1 July 2009
	 The Department currently funds the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine via the Medical Research Council to evaluate research on the effect of heat waves, including patterns of excess seasonal deaths. This work, which informs the annual review of the national heat wave plan, involves collaborating with other developed countries that typically reach higher summer temperatures than the United Kingdom. Therefore, the Department has no current plans to commission other specific research in this area.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Detainees

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were being detained without charge on the basis of evidence which had not been disclosed to the detainee at the latest date for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The requested information is not collected centrally.
	The collection held by the Home Office on police detention under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) and terrorism legislation cannot separately identify the number of people detained without charge on the basis of evidence which had not been disclosed to the detainee.

Drugs: Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average street price of  (a) cannabis,  (b) ecstasy,  (c) gamma hydroxybutyrate and  (d) ketamine in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Johnson: Street prices for drugs vary considerably and are dependent on a number of factors. Prices are given where available in the following table.
	All prices are based on collective data.
	
		
			   
			  Commodity  Unit size  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000 
			 Cannabis resin per 1/8 ounce 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 15 15 15 
			  per ounce 50 60 60 60 60 61 (60) 66 (65) 79 (80) 80 85 
			 Cannabis skunk per 1/8 ounce 20 20 20 20 20 20 25 25 30 30 
			  per ounce 120 135 136 (135) 118 (120) 120 121 (120) 121 (120) 133 (135) 143 (145) 147 (150) 
			 Ecstasy per tablet 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 6 7.50 10 
			 Ketamine per gram 20 20 20 No price data 
			 GHB Insufficient data to provide accurate range or common prices

Immigrants: Somalia

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somali nationals have  (a) voluntarily returned to and  (b) been forcibly removed to Somalia from the UK in the last two years.

Phil Woolas: The requested information is not available. The following table shows the number of nationals of Somalia removed or departed voluntarily to Somalia in the last two years by type of departure.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1) , for nationals of Somalia to Somalia( 2) , by type, January 2007 to December 2008 
			  Number of departures( 3) 
			   2007( 4)  2008( 4) 
			  To Somalia, 40 30 
			  nationals of Somalia   
			  Of which:   
			 enforced removals and notified voluntary departures(5, 6) 10 20 
			 Assisted Voluntary Returns(7) 20 5 
			 other voluntary departures(8) 10  
			 non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed(9)   
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 (- = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Destination as recorded on source database. (3) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. (4) Provisional figures. Figures will under-record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. (5) Due to a reclassification of removal categories, figures include asylum removals which have been performed by Enforcement Officers using port powers of removal and a small number of cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. 
			 (6) Since October 2006, figures include persons leaving under Facilitated Return Schemes. (7) Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action has been initiated. (8) Since January 2005, persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (9) Includes removals performed by Immigration Officers at ports using enforcement powers and cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls.

Internet: Security

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's budget for cyber-security was for 2008-09.

David Hanson: The Home Office takes cyber-security very seriously. In addition to research in this area, cyber-security is an integral part of every Home Office IT system but it is not costed separately; hence it is not feasible to give a total budget figure.

Police: Identification

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made against police officers in each police force for not displaying their shoulder number in the last five years.

David Hanson: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is responsible for the collation and annual publication of police complaints and discipline statistics. However, these statistics are not broken down to the level of detail requested.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the Afghan Perspectives Report: The Provincial Reconstruction Team and Quick Impact Projects, Helmand Province of April 2008.

Douglas Alexander: The Afghan Perspectives Report is not suitable for release. It contains sensitive information, the publication of which I am advised could put individuals at risk.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate has been made of the number of people who have been displaced from North Kivu owing to the security situation in that region since the beginning of 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 350,000 people have been displaced from or within North Kivu since the beginning of 2009.

Democratic Republic of Congo: International Assistance

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to contribute to the UN emergency appeal for the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government have already disbursed 20 million to the humanitarian pooled fund in response to the appeal for the 2009 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) humanitarian action plan. This week we will release a further 15 million of the 35 million of funding announced by the Secretary of State in January. We are also planning to contribute 500,000 to an Oxfam GB intervention in Lubero territory in North Kivu province.

Democratic Republic of Congo: International Assistance

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the security situation in North Kivu on the capacity of humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance to that region; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The current situation in North Kivu is characterised by significant humanitarian needs, widespread violence and human rights violations. Along with continuing insecurity, emergency assistance is also hampered by weak basic services, insufficient funding and too few humanitarian organisations on the ground.
	Ongoing military operations led by the Congolese Army (FARDC) against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have further restricted humanitarian access and the ability to distribute relief items, leaving many with no or insufficient assistance.
	The Department for International Development is committed to helping to alleviate the humanitarian situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In January the Secretary of State announced a commitment of 35 million for 2009 for humanitarian needs.

Kenya: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of his Department's development aid to Kenya which was  (a) misappropriated and  (b) used for purposes other than those for which it was intended in the last two years.

Gareth Thomas: The majority of UK development aid to Kenya goes through civil society organisations, international NGOs, UN agencies and other private implementing partners, who usually have robust project monitoring and financial accounting systems. Approximately 30 per cent. of our programme goes directly to the Government of Kenya through earmarked accounts, which are rigorously monitored and audited. Thorough fiduciary risk assessments are undertaken of individual ministries and projects before we provide funding to the Government of Kenya.
	The only substantiated instance of misappropriation I am aware of in the last two years was in 2007, when 18,968 was misappropriated from a DFID health programme. The fraud was picked up by DFID systems, the funds were recovered and returned to DFID, and legal action was taken against the suspect. This constitutes less than 0.02 per cent. of UK development aid to Kenya over a two-year period.

Kenya: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much overseas development assistance his Department has allocated to projects in Kenya in each year from 2007 to 2010.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) will publish details of all country resource allocations to 2010-11 in its annual report to be published later this month. This will be available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of humanitarian aid provided by the Government which  (a) reaches and  (b) does not reach its intended recipients.

Gareth Thomas: Department for International Development (DFID) aid is managed and controlled to ensure that it reaches its intended recipients. DFID does not provide humanitarian aid to foreign Governments, only to UN relief agencies, the Red Cross and reputable non-government organisations. It is monitored rigorously on the ground, at headquarters level and through systematic accounting, audit and parliamentary scrutiny. The National Audit Office and the International Development and Public Accounts Select Committees have in recent years examined and reported favourably on DFID's humanitarian spending.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the provision of humanitarian aid to Somalia.

Gareth Thomas: In May, the European Union (EU) General Affairs Council, attended by the Foreign Secretary and me, agreed a statement on Somalia which condemned the recent fighting in Mogadishu and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. It also welcomed the steps taken by the new Transitional Federal Institutions to consolidate the political process and stressed the continued engagement of the EU, including in the delivery of humanitarian aid as well as for reconstruction and development.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent humanitarian aid his Department has provided to the Darfur area of Sudan.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not systematically disaggregate humanitarian aid by region within Sudan. However, of our 110 million budget for Sudan for 2008-09, we provided approximately 55 million towards the humanitarian effort, of which over 30 million went to the Darfur region. This support is provided through bilateral funding for NGOs, support to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and contributions to the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF).

JUSTICE

Debts: Court Orders

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many charging orders for debt were obtained at each county court in each of the last two years.

Bridget Prentice: Copies of tables showing the total number of charging orders made against debtors in the county courts of England and Wales in 2007 and 2008, have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Fraud

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been  (a) investigated,  (b) tried and  (c) convicted of Ponzi-type frauds in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: The information requested is not available.
	Ponzi-type fraud is not an offence covered by specific legislation, and financial service providers involved in consequential criminal behaviour are likely to be charged with an offence appropriate to the circumstances (such as money laundering, fraud or dishonesty, theft or market abuse, etc).
	Information held on the Ministry of Justice court proceedings database on the number of prosecutions and convictions for fraud offences cannot be broken down further to show which of these offences specifically relate to the commission of a Ponzi-type fraud.

Fraud

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any mechanisms exist in the sentencing of those found guilty of Ponzi-type frauds for the provision of compensation or other payment to the victims of the fraud.

Bridget Prentice: Where a person is convicted of any offence, including fraud, the court has the power to impose a compensation order requiring the offender to pay a specified sum to a victim who has suffered personal injury, loss or damage to property. The court must give reasons, on sentencing, if it does not make a compensation order where it had the power to do so. However, in criminal cases, compensation is designed primarily to make clear to the offender the impact of the offence on the victim, rather than to make good the victim's losses. The amount of compensation must take account of the known means of the offender.
	A compensation order, like a fine, is enforced by the magistrates courts using a range of enforcement powers. Where the offender is imprisoned, the compensation order remains active on the courts' systems and enforcement action can resume on the offender's release.

Fraud

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are in detention having been convicted of participation in or orchestration of Ponzi-type frauds; and what the average length of detention for this particular type of crime is.

Claire Ward: The information requested is not available.
	Ponzi-type fraud is not an offence covered by specific legislation, and financial service providers involved in consequential criminal behaviour are likely to be charged with an offence appropriate to the circumstances (such as money laundering, fraud or dishonesty, theft or market abuse, etc).
	While statistics are held on the number of detentions and average sentence lengths by each offence group (including fraud and forgery), they cannot be broken down further to show which of these convictions specifically related to the commission of a Ponzi-type fraud.

National Offender Management Service: Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether his Department provides training for prison staff in meditation techniques;
	(2)  if he will undertake research into the effectiveness of meditation techniques for prison service staff in assisting them to carry out their duties.

Maria Eagle: There is no central curriculum provision for training for prison staff in meditation techniques, although HMP Manchester is providing meditation training on a pilot basis locally for their staff. Whether more establishments are providing such training could be known only by obtaining information from each establishment, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	There are no current plans to undertake national research into the effectiveness of meditation specifically for prison staff. However, the provision at HMP Manchester is currently being independently evaluated.

National Probation Service for England and Wales

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date the post of Director of the National Probation Service was discontinued.

Maria Eagle: The post of the Director of the National Probation Service was discontinued on 29 March 2009.
	The National Offender Management Service joins up both prisons and probation into one. There was no Director of Prison Service previously and due to the joined-up nature of the new organisation, once the transitional phase was ended, the post of Director of Probation was discontinued.

Parole: Health Services

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who are subject to parole supervision in England and Wales who have  (a) a drug addiction,  (b) an alcohol addiction and  (c) a mental health condition; and what funding he has allocated to services for such people in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Maria Eagle: Figures regarding the substance misuse and mental health needs of people subject to parole supervision are not routinely collected centrally and so are unavailable in the form requested.

Prison Sentences

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how long on average offenders with a minimum sentence of life spent in prison in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of first releases from prison on life licence in 2007, and the average time served at time of release.
	
		
			   Number released  Average time served (years) 
			 Mandatory lifers 90 16 
			 Other lifers 56 9 
		
	
	These figures are taken from table 9.5 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2007, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library, and which can be found at the website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	The 2008 figures will be published in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2008 on 31 July 2009.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners : Housing Benefit

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department issues to prisons on informing local housing authorities that prisoners sentenced for a period of 13 weeks or less continue to receive their local housing allowance on an uninterrupted basis.

Maria Eagle: All prisons receiving offenders from the courts must conduct an initial housing assessment within the first four days of custody.
	An integral part of the assessment ascertains if an offender is able to continue or initiate a claim for local housing allowance and triggers support to the prisoner to make or continue a claim where appropriate.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign prisoners were in open prisons on 31 May 2009.

Maria Eagle: At the end of March 2009 there were 204 foreign national prisoners detained in open prisons in England and Wales.
	Data on foreign national prisoners are published quarterly in the population in custody bulletin, on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	Annual data on FNPs, and other characteristics on the prison population, have been published each year in Offender Management Caseload Statistics from 2003 and before that in Prison Statistics England and Wales. Both publications are in the House of Commons of Library and may also be accessed via the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the number of Chinese nationals who are in prison in the UK.

Maria Eagle: Figures for foreign national prisoners (FNPs) held in prisons in England and Wales have been published quarterly since June 2007 and can be found at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	Annual data on FNPs, and other characteristics on the prison population, are published each year in Offender Management Caseload Statistics from 2003 and before that in Prison Statistics England and Wales. Both publications are in the House of Commons of Library and may also be accessed via the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	At the end of March 2009, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 445 Chinese national prisoners detained.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Mentally Ill

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mentally disordered prisoners have been transferred to hospital in the month before their release date in each year since 1999.

Maria Eagle: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Jack Straw) may direct prisoners with a mental disorder to be detained for treatment in psychiatric hospitals if their mental disorder requires it. The number of prisoners transferred to psychiatric hospitals has risen gradually over the last decade and is now about 1,000 a year.
	Prison health care staff are advised to consult specialist mental health care providers and make proposals for transfer at the earliest possible time. The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number transferred in month before release date 
			 1999 37 
			 2000 37 
			 2001 24 
			 2002 16 
			 2003 28 
			 2004 29 
			 2005 41 
			 2006 44 
			 2007 65 
			 2008 52 
			 2009 (1)32 
			 (1 )January to May only.

Probation Officers: Derbyshire

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of changes to the number of probation staff in Derbyshire in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Maria Eagle: It is not possible to provide estimates of staffing figures for Derbyshire at this time. Resource allocations for 2010-11 and 2011-12 have not yet been set.
	The Derbyshire Probation Board has been developing its financial and business plans for the next three years, as part of its application to become a Probation Trust. Unions are being consulted as these plans are being developed.
	When the outcome of its trust application is known and the resource allocations for 2010-11 and 2011-12 have been set, Derbyshire will prepare its workforce plans to deliver the required service within available resources. I will write to the hon. Member when resource allocations have been set and the associated workforce plans have been agreed by Derbyshire Probation Board.
	Responsibility for resourcing levels lies with each probation board or trust as they are the employers of probation staff. It is for them to take the action necessary at a local level, within available resources, to ensure they can deliver the required service.

Probation Officers: Manpower

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) qualified and  (b) trainee probation officers there were in the Probation Service in England and Wales in each year since 2002.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of qualified and trainee probation officers in the Probation Service in each year since 2002.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalents 
			   Probation officers( 1)  Trainee probation officers 
			 2002(2,3) 5,966 1,566 
			 2003(3) 6,271 1,818 
			 2004(3) 6,585 1,774 
			 2005(3) 6,894 1,386 
			 2006(3) 7,209 1,134 
			 2007(3,4) 7,119 1,138 
			 (1) Includes senior probation officers, senior practitioners, probation officers and professional development assessors. (2) Figures taken from the Home Office RDS Probation Statistics Report. (3 )Figures taken at 31 December each year. (4) Figures for 2007 will shortly be published on the Probation Service Intranet and Internet sites. 
		
	
	This is also in the context of a 70 per cent. increase in probation funding in real terms over the last 10 years and an increase of more than a third in staff. The Probation Service continues to cut reoffending rates, increase successful drug treatments and offending behaviour programmes, and carries out visible and punitive Community Payback.

Probation: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions in the latest period for which figures are available the Probation Service recommended a custodial sentence in pre-sentence reports; and what guidance his Department issues to the Probation Service on whether to recommend custodial sentences for imprisonable offences.

Maria Eagle: During the period January to December 2008, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 17,164 cases where an immediate custodial sentence was the recommendation of a pre-sentence report. This information is available at the Ministry of Justice website at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/probationquarterly.htm
	The principal guidance provided to the Probation Service on sentencing proposals to make to the court is the Criminal Justice Act 2003: New Sentences and New Framework and the National Implementation Guide for the Criminal Justice Act 2003, both of which were issued in March 2005.
	Both documents make clear that the report writer should propose a sentence that is proportionate to the level of seriousness and purpose, or purposes, of sentencing that the court intended, including the use of custodial or suspended custodial sentences. Separate guidance issued in June 2005 describes how the report writer should address sentences for public protection, also introduced by CJA 2003.
	Further guidance was issued in April 2009 for court officers, report writers and offender managers that emphasised that reports should offer the court a clear proposal and that custody should be proposed where no other sentence was suitable. The Government believe that prison is the right place for the most dangerous, serious and persistent offenders, and we are increasing prison capacity to ensure that we always have enough places for these offenders.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation: West Yorkshire

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect on service delivery of recent changes to the funding allocation of the Probation Service  (a) nationally and  (b) in West Yorkshire.

Maria Eagle: The funding reduction of 20 million for probation in 2009-10 should be viewed in the context of a provisionally reported 17 million underspend in 2008-09 and is therefore achievable without compromising front line delivery and public protection. The position nationally and for West Yorkshire, which shows a provisionally reported underspend of 325,000 in 2008-09, is similar.
	From 1 April, regional Directors of Offender Management have been in place to provide the necessary strategic oversight of offender management services at a regional level.
	The Director of Offender Management for Yorkshire and Humberside, Steve Wagstaffe, has met individually Chief Officers and Chairs from every area and trust in the region to discuss budget planning. He is carefully monitoring the work that is being undertaken locally to reduce the number of managerial and back office posts in order to concentrate resources on the front line.

Sentencing: Homicide

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on his review of the starting point for the minimum sentence for murder involving the use of a knife; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: I will be shortly be seeking the views of the senior judiciary and the Sentencing Guidelines Council on the appropriate starting point for determining the minimum term for murder using a knife.

Young Offenders: Children in Care

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of  (a) 12,  (b) 13,  (c) 14,  (d) 15,  (e) 16,  (f) 17,  (g) 18 and  (h) 19-year-olds in each young offender institution had previously been in the care of their local authority.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that was given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 29 April 2008,  Official  Report, column 391W.
	Information on the total number of prisoners in all prison establishments in England and Wales who were in local authority care at some point when under the age of 16 is not centrally available.
	However, a Social Exclusion Unit report 'Reducing re-offending by ex-Prisoners' published in 2002 reported that 27 per cent. of the prison population had been taken into care as a child against an average across the general population of 2 per cent.
	Similarly, the information required to answer this question relating to 12 to 19-year-old prisoners previously in care of the local authority is not centrally available.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Allowances

David Winnick: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members have repaid money received by them in allowance payments since the detailed information on hon. Members' allowance payments has been published; and how much has been so repaid  (a) in total and  (b) on average by hon. Members.

Barbara Keeley: Members repay sums to the House for numerous reasons, many of which are unconnected with the recent publication of detailed information on allowances, such as for end-year reconciliations and in respect of refunds by suppliers. Since 1 April 2009, 264 Members have repaid a total of 642,728.75. The average refund was 2,434 per Member.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 988-90W, on the departmental internet, how many  (a) unique visitors and  (b) page impressions were received by each website operated by his Department in each of the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The number of  (a) unique visitors and  (b) page impressions received by each website for the last 12 months as detailed in the answer of 3 February is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Youth Justice Agency  NI Prison Service  OCTF  Northern Ireland Office 
			  Month  Unique visitors  Page impressions  Unique visitors  Page impressions  Unique visitors  Page impressions  Unique visitors  Page impressions 
			 June 2008 2,851 22,067 11,121 481,656 2,833 63,059 28,297 501,941 
			 July 2008 2,508 22,943 9,581 691,732 2,527 69,260 20,631 463,098 
			 August 2008 2,043 21,337 7,859 1,786,452 2,043 63,271 18,458 383,870 
			 September 2008 2,214 19,615 8,426 686,181 2,175 58,327 22,379 441,252 
			 October 2008 2,237 22,919 9,823 674,066 2,584 63,891 27,814 559,138 
			 November 2008 2,395 23,184 10,708 729,506 2585 61,796 20,491 493,436 
			 December 2008 1,884 18,295 9,375 765,327 2,398 55,750 22,677 354,193 
			  
			 January 2009 2,341 24,788 9,175 843,567 2,359 60,020   
			 February 2009 2,151 22,604 10,469 910,119 2,228 50,245   
			 March 2009 2,486 22,744 9,925 904,375 2,399 58,133   
			 April 2009 2,218 18,495 10,423 1,110,648 2,647 53,380   
			 May 2009 2,214 18,789 10,344 960,806 2,731 50,806   
			 June 2009 2,851 22,067 6,613 543,361 (1)1,164 (1)18,349   
			 (1) Figures as at 16 June 2009.  Notes: 1. Figures for the Northern Ireland Office website are not obtainable from January 2009 until present due to a changeover from our web statistic provider. 2. The Youth Justice Agency website: www.youthconferenceserviceni.gov.uk is not included as this website has not been in operation for the last 12 months.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Black Boxes

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to press the International Civil Aviation Organisation to review the design of aircraft black boxes to ensure that after accidents they can  (a) be more readily located and  (b) transmit location signals for a longer period.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is not aware of a particular deficiency in the design of aircraft flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders (otherwise known as 'black boxes') which needs to be addressed.
	The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are being kept well informed of all developments in the investigation into the A330 Air France accident and will take any appropriate action necessary once the relevant facts are made available.

Departmental Consultants

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether consultants employed by his Department have served on departmental boards established to determine  (a) promotions and  (b) level transfers in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: Human Resources interim managers in the Highways Agency fulfil the full range of duties associated with the role they are providing cover for and may from time to time serve on recruitment and promotion boards.
	Interim managers in the Central Department from time to time serve on promotion and level transfer boards, providing they have undertaken the necessary training.
	Interim managers have been used by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency during the last 12 months to assist civil servants on boards to determine promotions and level transfers. The decision who to employ was always made by a civil servant.

Departmental Consultants

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many consultants within his central Department act as interim managers; and of these how many act as  (a) reporting officers and  (b) countersigning officers for appraisal reporting purposes.

Chris Mole: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 383W, on departmental training, which bargaining units have rolled out his Department's competency framework for employees in pay bands 1 to 7.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport (DFT) Central, the Vehicle Certification Agency, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Highways Agency have all rolled out the DFT competency framework to all staff below SCS.
	The Government Car and Despatch Agency rolled out the competency framework to its non-industrial staff.
	The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) decided not to implement the DFT Framework and is continuing to use an updated version of its former (DVO) competency framework. VOSA is committed to promoting Professional Skills for Government (PSG) to all staff and is currently taking positive steps to roll out PSG to all grades.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is also continuing to deploy the former DVO competency framework for its key HR procedures and processes. DVLA's commitment to and delivery of skills development and career management is strong and is inherently aligned to the principles of PSG, with work having been undertaken on job families and an innovation centre which has an excellent reputation. Work is planned to review what steps DVLA needs to take to progress PSG implementation further.
	The Driving Standards Agency did not roll out PSG to grades below G7 via the DFT competency framework but is embedding PSG into individual people processes using the original PSG core skills.

Departmental Manpower

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) consultants and  (b) contractors worked in the human resources section of his Department in 2008-09.

Chris Mole: The Central Department and its agencies recorded 37 consultants and contractors working within sections of human resources in 2008-09.
	This figure excludes the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency. Any further breakdown can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publications

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much it cost to produce each of his Department's publications in each of the last three years.

Chris Mole: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment has been made of the merits of moving staff from DfT Hastings to the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission in Hastings; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: No assessment has been made of the merits of moving Department for Transport staff in Hastings to the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission. Should any staff surplus arise, the Department will deploy the Cabinet Office Protocol for handling surplus staff situations, which has been agreed by the General Secretaries of our recognised trade unions.

Railways: Fees and Charges

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many penalty fares have been issued by each train operating company in each year since 1997.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. Revenue protection is the responsibility of each train operator, and the Department does not generally monitor ticketless travel levels.

Roads: Accidents

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) fatal and  (b) non-fatal road traffic accidents were recorded on roads in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (ii) Cambridgeshire, (iii) Huntingdonshire, (iv) Peterborough, (v) the East of England and (vi) England in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Clark: The numbers of reported  (a) fatal and  (b) non-fatal road traffic accidents that were recorded on roads in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (ii) Cambridgeshire excluding Peterborough , (iii) Huntingdonshire, (iv) Peterborough, (v) the East of England and (vi) England in each of the last 10 years are given in table:
	
		
			  Number of reported accidents 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  North West Cambridgeshire( 1)   
			 Fatal 8 14 9 9 13 11 11 7 12 12 
			 Non-fatal 488 531 536 480 501 513 517 490 424 449 
			
			  Cambridgeshire excl. Peterborough   
			 Fatal 52 61 44 45 46 50 51 50 54 41 
			 Non-fatal 2,367 2,565 2,606 2,496 2,453 2,469 2,409 2,238 2,100 1,939 
			
			  Huntingdonshire   
			 Fatal 16 21 11 12 15 .13 16 14 13 12 
			 Non-fatal 664 700 720 702 696 632 644 618 599 544 
			
			  Peterborough   
			 Fatal 11 11 9 11 12 15 10 8 18 11 
			 Non-fatal 731 849 844 865 897 916 914 816 716 792 
			
			  East of England   
			 Fatal 367 352 349 351 337 337 318 318 313 245 
			 Non-fatal 21,421 22,023 21,573 20,711 20,098 20,061 19,205 17,892 17,393 15,904 
			
			  England   
			 Fatal 2,678 2,659 2,700 2,717 2,787 2,514 2,495 2,483 2,311 1,965 
			 Non-fatal 207,173 206,422 202,139 195,019 187,645 181,515 174,143 164,969 159,119 148,681

Trade Unions

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether officials in his Department have had discussions on de-recognition of the Public and Commercial Services Union in  (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and  (b) his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: There have been no discussions on de-recognition of the Public and Commercial Services Union in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency or Department for Transport centre.

Trams: Disabled

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what representations he has received on exemptions to disability access regulations for the historic Blackpool tram fleet.

Sadiq Khan: Two representations have been received regarding the application of disability access regulations to the historic Blackpool tram fleet, within the context of the Department for Transport's ongoing consultation on changes to the domestic rail vehicle accessibility regime.
	The Department for Transport is conscious of, and sympathetic to, the special heritage nature of the current tram fleet in Blackpool; however, it also recognises that public transport services should be available to all members of society. Therefore, the 16 new trams that the operator is currently procuring for regular service will comply with modern accessibility standards. However, officials have proposed exempting Blackpool's existing fleet from accessibility requirements for use on heritage services on the route. The decision on whether to grant an exemption will ultimately be for Parliament to decide.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of time is for new child benefit claimants to receive written notification of their child benefit entitlement following their request for such notification; and in how many cases new claimants waited at least 30 days for such notification in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: This particular information is not available. However, for information on the amount of time it takes to pay a new child benefit claim I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, East (John Mason), on 27 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1046-47W.
	HMRC under these schemes at a cost of around 299 million. The savings in salary costs from these releases are estimated at 691 million.
	Although all decisions on office closures have now been announced, the actual closures will be phased over a period of time. Through this implementation phase the redeployment of staff remains HMRC's highest priority.

Child Trust Fund: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust vouchers have been issued to residents of Hemel Hempstead constituency; and what his estimate is of the total monetary value of those accounts.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The most recent constituency level statistics on child trust fund accounts were published on 6 November 2008 and can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/cons-stats-oct08.pdf
	HM Revenue and Customs does not have data on the value of child trust funds at constituency level.

Finance: Dairy Farmers of Britain

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has given consideration to underwriting the May milk cheques lost by members of Dairy Farmers of Britain; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of doing so.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The receivers (PwC) have estimated that the total financial costs to farmers who were members and former members of Dairy Farmers of Britain on 3 June are around 83 million.
	The proportion of this figure which arises from the failure to pay the May milk cheques is a matter for the receiver.
	Government have considered whether we can compensate farmers, but do not plan to do so.

Private Finance Initiative: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent assessment is of the efficiency of schemes under the private finance initiative in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point.

Ian Pearson: All local authority PFI projects seeking PFI credits are subject to an assessment by the Projects Review Group (PRG), which is chaired by HM Treasury.
	Minutes of the PRG meetings held in 2008 and 2009 can be found on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk7ppp_projectreview_group.htm
	A list of all signed PFI projects can be found on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_pfi_stats.htm

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefits

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average age of council tax benefit applicants in the last 12 months.

Helen Goodman: The information is not available in the format requested. The Department for Work and Pensions holds claimant information rather than applicant information.
	The most recent available information is that the average age of claimants of council tax benefit in May 2004 was 58.
	 Source:
	This figure is derived from the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System annual 1 per cent. sample taken in May 2004.

Departmental Pay

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of her Department's agencies have submitted bids for efficiency savings to be used for pay improvements in 2009 pay offers.

Jim Knight: Neither DWP nor any of its agencies have submitted bids for efficiency savings to be used for pay improvements in 2009 pay offers.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress her Department has made in opening its procurement process to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Jim Knight: DWP commercial and procurement teams use the Sustainable Procurement Risk Assessment Methodology (SPRAM) as part of their activities and the use of small and medium-sized enterprises is covered within this procedure.
	The Department benefits from a diverse market and choice of supply. The Department fully supports and follows procurement rules which are based on the concepts of transparency and non discrimination.
	DWP is committed to competitive neutrality among its suppliers and to public sector best practice and acts in accordance with OGC standards. Where contract opportunities are to be competed they are appropriately advertised to the market and fair competition is used to select the most suitable solution and value for money obtained for the tax payer.
	Where practical, requirements are packaged to make them more attractive to smaller suppliers. This can include dividing requirements into lots, allowing regional rather than national provision or, where this is not practical, by encouraging primary contractors to use smaller and medium-sized enterprises as sub contractors.
	In 2007-08 we had 31 SME suppliers in our top 200 (15.5 per cent.) who attracted a spend of 158.5 million (4.7 per cent.).
	In 2008-09 we had 72 SME suppliers in our top 200 (36.0 per cent.) who attracted a spend of 251.5 million (7.0 per cent.).
	Therefore in 2008-09 the number of SME suppliers in our top 200 increased by 41 (132 per cent.) and their spend increased by 93 million (58.6 per cent.).

Employment Services

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the caseload under Jobcentre Plus Support contracts in the next 12 months.

Jim Knight: There are no direct caseload figures for the Jobcentre Plus support contract.

Employment Services

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many commercial employment providers have signed up to participate in the delivery of help for newly unemployed and executive Jobcentre Plus customers.

Jim Knight: As part of the Government's response to the economic downturn the DWP has put in place extra support for newly unemployed customers, including a service for professionals and executives.
	This new service was introduced nationally from 6 April 2009, and currently a database of 316 suitable providers has been developed from which individual customers can select the organisation best able to meet their needs.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether free telephones are available for the use of Jobcentre Plus customers in  (a) Ormskirk jobcentre,  (b) Southport jobcentre and  (c) each jobcentre in Liverpool.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking whether free telephones are available for the use of Jobcentre Plus customers in Ormskirk Jobcentre, Southport Jobcentre and each jobcentre in Liverpool. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus is constantly reviewing services to ensure that we provide the best possible standard of service to our customers. An increasing amount of face-to-face customer contact is on an appointment basis and information on job vacancies is readily available by telephone and the Internet. This enables staff in our offices to focus on those customers in greatest need of support to return to work.
	All Jobcentre Plus offices, including those in Ormskirk, Southport and Liverpool, have customer access phones which are available for our customers to use free of charge. They are available primarily for customers who do not have alternative means of contact, who do not have a telephone at home or a mobile phone.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate her Department has made of the average distance between the home of a jobseeker's allowance claimant and the nearest Jobcentre Plus office; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what recent estimate his Department has made of the average distance between the home of a jobseeker's allowance claimant and the nearest Jobcentre Plus office; and if he will make a statement. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has a large network of offices with a wide and constantly changing customer base. These factors preclude an accurate assessment being made in relation to an average distance between the home of a jobseeker's allowance claimant and the nearest Jobcentre Plus office.
	Jobcentre Plus Customer Service Directors constantly review their service delivery plans to ensure optimum provision of service for all customers, for every Jobcentre Plus District. This is especially important in the context of the current economic conditions and welfare reform changes planned for the next two to three years. In addition to our network of modernised Jobcentres we aim to make our services accessible to customers by providing a range of support through outreach, often delivering advisory and other support on partners' premises. That is particularly important in locations where maintaining a Jobcentre could not be justified. Typically such services can be delivered in partnership with Children's Centres or on Local Authority premises or in conjunction with one of our Welfare to Work Providers.
	The great majority of our services (in common with most large, modern organisations) are now also delivered through the telephone and internet. For example, to give customers more convenient access, we have more than half a million vacancies on-line at any time (our website receives close to one million job searches every working day), and new claims to benefit are predominantly taken by telephone with some taken on-line. This has brought our customer facing services together in a more coherent and integrated network and I believe Jobcentre Plus is well-placed to respond to the full range of economic conditions.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will make it her policy to remove restrictions on access to work-related training for jobseeker's allowance claimants.

Jim Knight: We recognise that for some people lack of skills can hamper their entry into work and we actively support jobseekers in gaining the necessary skills.
	Jobseekers can take part in part-time training at any point in their claim as long as it is for less than 16 hours per week, and may also undertake two weeks of full-time training within a 12-month period. In both cases, customers remain on jobseeker's allowance. This training could be with a range of learning providers, including further education colleges and provision arranged through the devolved Administrations' vocational training programmes.
	Jobseeker's allowance customers must be available for and actively seeking work as their main activity and must be prepared to take up the offer of a job at short notice. However, within certain parameters, customers can undertake full-time training if this is needed in order to gain the necessary skills to enter employment. Customers undertaking full-time training are transferred to a training allowance, to which the 16-hour study rule does not apply.
	Financial support for other full-time students is the responsibility of the education sector.